Waterfall Canyon Accident, 1962
Waterfall Canyon is one of Ogden Canyon’s most popular attractions. The trail begins at the Mt. Ogden Trailhead on 29th Street and continues for 2.4 miles to a 200 foot waterfall, which has attracted hikers since Ogden’s earliest days. While the scenery is beautiful, it has also proved treacherous. Newspapers have reported hikers falling while trying to climb the falls since the 1880s. Some survived their accidents, but unfortunately several lost their lives.
One such accident proved especially tragic. On December 27, 1962, three children went hiking in Waterfall Canyon around 3:00 p.m. on a holiday hike. The children, aged 7-9, were Bonnie Belnap Ross, Mark Dennis Way, and Shauna Southwick. When the children failed to return home, family and friends searched with the Weber County Sheriff Mountain Rescue Team and Jeep Patrol for four hours. The children were found at the bottom of the cliff at 9:15 p.m. by Dr. Aaron Ross and John Lowe.
Shauna was found alive but died in the ambulance before reaching the Dee Hospital. Bonnie and Mark died at the scene. Their bodies were found close together, indicating they were holding hands when they slipped and fell. Dr. Ross retraced their footsteps to a narrow, icy ledge above the top of the waterfall, where he thought the children must have stopped to get a photograph as Shauna’s smashed camera was found at the bottom.
Due to the number of accidents that have occurred at the waterfall, hikers can no longer legally hike above the falls.
Shauna Southwick
Bonnie Belnap Ross
Mark Dennis Way