Hiker dies after slipping off ledge near New Hampshire waterfall

Officials say group believed route was walking trail

A hiker fell his death from a mountain in New Hampshire after slipping on a ledge near a water fall.

The man was walking with a group on Saturday after getting the cable car to the top of Cannon Mountain when New Hampshire Game and Wildlife said the trio decided to walk back down.

Without following a trail, the department said the three hikers got into difficulty in an area that was “rocky, wet, and steep with a waterfall”, not far from the 1,244-metre summit.

One of the hikers slipped and fell from the mountain, and his companions called 911 at around 12.50pm “for assistance once they realised they could no longer see their companion,” authorities said on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, they were not following an established hiking trail, starting down what they thought was a ski trai,” a news release said. “As the group tried to manoeuver their way down, one of the hikers slipped causing him to fall off a ledge.”

First responders were called to the scene near the Cannon Mountain tram and were able to locate the deceased male in a wooded area at the bottom of a waterfall using GPS coordinates.

Conservation Officers and members of the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team (PVST) brought the man to the tram parking lot, from where he was taken to Ross Funeral Home to Littleton, New Hampshire.

In a tribute on Facebook, the PVST said: “A sad incident on Cannon Mountain. Heartfelt sympathy to this man’s family and friends”.

The deceased hiker has not been identified.