1 hiker dies after fall at Crowders Mountain Park

A hiker has died after falling from the top of Tower Trail at Crowders Mountain State Park in Gaston County.

A 911 call came in around 10:15 a.m. Monday, according to Capt. Lisa Gunn, Gaston EMS.

She did not know whether the victim was a man or a woman, and the identity of that person had not been released. Investigators were still at the scene around 12:30 p.m.

The fatality is the second in less than a year. A 48-year-old woman fell to her death in May.

The woman’s accidental death was the 14th attributed to a fall at a state park over the past 10 years, not including suicides.

She had hiked with her husband and one of three daughters to The Pinnacle, the park’s highest peak at 1,705 feet. The family was reportedly posing for a photograph when she tripped and fell 150 feet to her death.

Crowders Mountain State Park is managed by North Carolina Division of Parks & Recreation. Its two peaks are The Pinnacle and Crowders Mountain.

The mountain attracts visitors for climbing, rappelling and “bouldering,” or climbing on large boulders, which is permitted in designated areas.

Those activities are permitted at the individual’s own risk. The climbers are responsible for obtaining proper equipment and training, according to N.C. Division of Parks.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 11:14 AM with the headline "1 hiker dies after fall at Crowders Mountain Park."