Paighten HarkinsAfter three days of searching Canyonlands National Park for a missing hiker, crews found the 33-year-old man dead Friday.
Jonathan Hogue, a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Iowa, was an avid hiker, known for traveling long distances on his treks at state and national parks and going off trail. Authorities found his car March 10 parked near the Green River Overlook in the national park’s Island in the Sky section, according to a post on Canyonlands’ Facebook.
On Tuesday, Hogue, who hadn’t left a schedule of his travel plans with anyone, was reported missing, and crews started searching. His body was found Friday at the base of the overlook, about 500 feet below where his car was found, according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators believe he fell.
San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
The national park said on Facebook that Hogue was a doctoral student, who liked to draw and paint, and whose dream was to become a park ranger.
Paighten is an Enterprise reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune. She covers a variety of topics, including business, health, growth and the legal justice system — sometimes all at once. She is from southern Oklahoma, and lived and worked in the state, most recently at the Tulsa World, before starting at The Tribune in October 2017.