‘Your memories will live forever’: Australian hiker, 22, killed by falling tree in Yosemite National Park

An Australian hiker has been killed by a falling tree in Yosemite National Park while attempting a difficult and steep 15-kilometre track.

An Australian hiker has been killed by a falling tree in California’s Yosemite National Park while attempting a difficult and steep 15-kilometre track.

The 22-year-old, identified by local police as Harry Partington, was hiking the popular Four Mile Trail in Yosemite Valley on October 8 when he was crushed by a falling tree at around 2.30pm, according to park officials.

Another hiker, reportedly a woman from Germany who was not walking with Mr Partington, was also injured and had to be flown by helicopter for treatment.

“It was midafternoon, and there were wind gusts that day,” Yosemite National Park spokesman Scott Gediman told The Union Democrat on Tuesday. “There were a few raindrops in the Valley.”

The Perth man’s friends shared tributes on social media.

Harry Partington, 22, was killed by a falling tree in Yosemite National Park. Picture: Facebook

“Your love of travel may have taken you further than anyone can reach, but your memories will live forever in the minds and hearts of the people have you have connected with,” Victor Markey wrote on Facebook.

“RIP Harry, the bois will miss you dearly.”

Four Mile Trail is a popular switchback path, originally completed in 1872, that takes hikers from the base of Sentinel Rock to the top of Yosemite Valley at Glacier Point, offering stunning views of Yosemite Valley and landmarks including El Capitan, Yosemite Falls and Half Dome.

‘Your memories will live forever.’ Picture: Facebook

Classified by the National Parks Service as “strenuous”, the trail is a 9.6 mile (15.5 kilometre) round trip with a 3200 foot (975 metre) climb, from an elevation of 4000 feet at the valley floor to 7215 feet.

The track is usually only available between May and November or December when it closes due to “treacherous conditions” in snow.

Mr Partington was killed on the trail near Union Point, which at around 6300 feet, or about two-thirds of the way up.

According to The Union Democrat, lodgepole, ponderosa and fir grow on the steep slopes in the area.

The Mariposa County Sheriff Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine Mr Partington’s exact cause of death.

“We always ask that people have situational awareness and be aware of your surroundings,” Mr Gediman told the newspaper. “This is certainly an unfortunate event.”

The landmark Half Dome as seen from Olmsted Point. Picture: iStock

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is providing consular assistance.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a spokesman said.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

In July, Arizona college Grace Rohloff, 20, was hiking with her father Jonathan Rohloff in the park when she slipped and fell 200 feet to her death.

The pair were on a 16-mile round trip to the behemoth Half Dome rock formation when they were struck by a sudden rainstorm about three quarters of the way into their descent.

“Dad, my shoes are so slippery,” Mr Rohloff recalled his daughter saying, shortly before she lost her footing.

“She just slid off to the side, right by me, down the mountain,” he told SF Gate. “It happened so fast. I tried to reach my hand up, but she was already gone.”

There have been around 1300 deaths in Yosemite National Park since it was established in 1890, law firm Roberts & Spiegel estimates.

On average there are around 12 to 15 deaths per year in Yosemite. Between 2007 and 2023 there were 163 deaths, National Parks Service figures show.

Slips and falls were the leading cause, accounting for 53 deaths in that time.

Originally published as ‘Your memories will live forever’: Australian hiker, 22, killed by falling tree in Yosemite National Park