Hiker killed in fall on Grinnell Glacier Trail

Glacier National Park officials reported July 18 that a male hiker was killed after he took a 50-100 foot slide on a steep snow field on the Grinnell Glacier Trail.

An interpretive park ranger leading a hike on the trail received a report about the incident at about 11:50 a.m. Initial reports indicate that the hiker needed medical assistance and suffered head injuries.

Park rangers, Kalispell Regional Medical Center's ALERT helicopter and Minuteman Aviation all responded to the incident in the Many Glacier Valley. Medical personnel pronounced Nicholas Ryan, 30, of Omaha, Neb., deceased at about 1:53 p.m.

The Glacier County Coroner's Office will establish the cause of death.

Many backcountry trails are still covered with snow and considered dangerous.