Three men have been convicted of illegal BASE jumping from famous mountains in Yosemite National Park, a long-standing nuisance for park safety rangers that’s caught new public attention amid the government shutdown.
The three jumpers were convicted this year for incidents in 2020 and 2024. The National Park Service said Friday it is investigating three additional incidents from earlier this month in the park located in California but did not provide specific dates.
Jumpers have been shown in social media posts, reportedly captured this month, leaping from Yosemite’s famous El Capitan cliff face.
BASE jumping — where people leap from high locations and parachute down — has been illegal in Yosemite since the 1980s, though rangers regularly deal with illegal jumpers. Amid the government shutdown, some jumpers have taken advantage of lower levels of park staffing to flout the rule. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has downplayed reports that understaffing has led to such activities, calling it “misinformation.”
