Tourist posing for photo falls in creek, then 2 more follow, MT officials say
Three visitors were rescued after falling into a creek at a Montana national park, officials say.
Four tourists from Florida “were gathering for a photo on the rocks above Avalanche Gorge” in Glacier National Park the evening of Sunday, July 6, when one of them “slipped and fell into the water,” park officials said in a July 8 news release.
Then, two more visitors trying to help also fell in the water, officials said.
While two visitors “were swept through the gorge,” the third managed to grab tree branches as they waited for help in the gorge, according to officials.
Park officials said they got “multiple satellite SOS reports” about the three visitors who fell in Avalanche Creek just after 7 p.m.
Rangers arrived to find bystanders had performed CPR on two of the visitors, who were alert, officials said.
The third visitor, however, was still “trapped in the gorge,” officials said.
A ranger made their way to the tourist, then a technical rescue team got both from the gorge, according to officials.
The three visitors were taken to a nearby hospital and were in stable condition, officials said.
“The park would like to thank the park visitors for their heroic efforts that saved two lives, Three Rivers Ambulance, ALERT and the Whitefish Fire Department,” officials said.
Officials said that “drowning is the number one cause of death” in the park, adding that visitors should “watch their surroundings near water.”
“Swift, cold glacial streams and rivers, slick rocks or slippery logs all present dangers,” officials said. “Never walk, play, or climb on slippery rocks and logs, especially around waterfalls.”
Glacier National Park is in northern Montana.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Tourist posing for photo falls in creek, then 2 more follow, MT officials say."
