Man Who Led 139 People On Illegal Rim-To-Rim Grand Canyon Hike Pleads Guilty

A man pleaded guilty Friday for violating the group size limitations for a rim-to-rim hike at the Grand Canyon National Park. Authorities say on October 24th of 2020, Washington resident Joseph Don Mount, organized a group of 139 people to hike rim-to-rim without a special use permit. Mount was aware that his group required a permit before beginning the hike. It has been a rule since 2014 that any groups of 12 to 30 members or any non-profit groups hiking rim-to-rim or any extended day hikes in the Grand Canyon must get a special use permit from the Commercial Services Division. Mount is ordered to serve two years of supervised probation and is banned from all national parks, monuments and federal land in Arizona.