Summertime is monsoon season across the American Southwest, so visitors to national parks in the region must be aware of the risk of flash flooding. Two hikers in Zion National Park found themselves taking a sunny hike up to Angels Landing and a frightening hike down thanks a sudden rainstorm and flash flood.
Karlie Place and her hiking companion Monique recently shared their experience in Zion via two Instagram Reels. The first video shows the pair enjoying their hike to Angels Landing. At the top, you can see ominous clouds gathering in the sky. And then, it starts raining.
In part two of Place’s video series documenting the experience, the hikers are now surrounded by massive waterfalls where there was no water before. The women run down the trail and eventually make it off the trailhead safely.
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People in the comments section wonder if higher ground would have been the safest option for them during flash flooding. It’s also worth noting that the women were not standing in a body of water during a flash flood, so their claim to be “stuck in a flash flood” isn’t 100% accurate. However, they were caught up in a thunderstorm that developed quickly and likely caused flash flooding throughout the park.
See part one of the hikers’ journey in Zion that landed them in a “flash flood”:
Here’s part two:
Header stock image of clouds descending on Angels Landing Summit in Zion National Park by Bartfett/Getty Images