There is a hard balance that places like Grand Canyon try to find between the experience and the safety of the public. The history of the Park includes unfortunate events. The Park does take measures to prevent these sad occurrences from happening and is very much prepared to take emergency actions should it be necessary. Sadly, the Canyon is not immune from tragedy, but an understanding of what awaits visitors is important for a Grand Canyon outing not to be a distressing headline.

Many unfortunate incidents have occurred at the Park due to falls. These heartbreaking stories often make international news and start discussions of government accountability versus personal/parental responsibility. According to the book by Michael Ghiglieri and Thomas Myers Over the Edge: Death in the Canyon, there have been 53 accidental deaths at Grand Canyon spanning 80 years from 1925 through 2005. Preventing these incidents is a high priority for the Park Service, who rely on several levels of prevention to avoid tragedies.