This photo shows the beginning of the Bear Mountain Trail in Sedona, Arizona. A woman died in a fall down a 140-foot cliff on this trail on April 15, deputies said.
A woman died in a fall down a 140-foot cliff during a hike with her husband and 1-year-old child on a Sedona mountain, deputies said.
Zaynad Joseph, 40, and her family were visiting the area from California, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 17 Facebook post.
The family set out to hike Bear Mountain on Monday, April 15, deputies said.
At one point during the trek, deputies said she plunged down a 140-foot cliff. A group of other hikers heard yelling and found Joseph “seriously injured” but still breathing, deputies said.
However, she died shortly later, authorities said.
Her husband and child were flown off the mountain while her body was recovered.
“She had a heart of gold and was very dear to all of us,” Farwa Zaidi wrote on Facebook. “No words can describe the pain our families are going through, especially her husband and three young children.”
What to know about Bear Mountain Trail
Bear Mountain Trail is a “strenuous” and steep red rock trek that leads hikers to the summit, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The trip is about 4.6 miles long with an elevation gain of about 2,100 feet. It takes hikers about 4.5 hours to complete.
“The trail provides spectacular views the entire way, and offers many rewarding turn-around points for those who don’t wish to tackle the entire hike,” forest officials said.
Sedona is about a 115-mile drive north from Phoenix.