Yosemite National Park, one of America’s most iconic natural treasures, is facing a surge in illegal BASE jumping and other banned activities amid a period of federal uncertainty and strained enforcement resources. In a series of recent announcements, the National Park Service (NPS) revealed the convictions of three individuals for illegal BASE jumping—a daring and dangerous sport that involves leaping from fixed objects such as cliffs or bridges with a parachute—underscoring both the persistent allure of Yosemite for thrill-seekers and the challenges of maintaining law and order in the park.
BASE jumping, an acronym for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges), and Earth (cliffs), has been explicitly banned in all national parks since the mid-1980s under 36 CFR 2.17(a)(3). The regulation prohibits delivering or retrieving a person by airborne means except as authorized by the NPS. Despite this, Yosemite continues to attract a steady trickle of jumpers each year, sometimes with tragic results. According to Newsmax, the park’s wild granite faces have long tempted extreme sports enthusiasts, even as the risks—and penalties—remain steep.
The convictions, announced as part of a broader crackdown, involve three men whose cases highlight both the dangers and the legal consequences of defying park regulations. The first, Christopher I. Durell, admitted to BASE jumping from the Porcelain Wall near North Dome on July 15, 2024. Rangers received a tip about two jumpers and quickly located Durell at Mirror Lake. He confessed to the illegal jump and, as reported by KSEE/KGPE and Newsmax, pleaded guilty. On September 16, 2025, he was sentenced to 18 months of unsupervised probation, $600 in fines, and 40 hours of community service with an organization supporting the National Park Service. Durell was also forced to forfeit his BASE canopy and wingsuit—an expensive and symbolic penalty for any jumper.
The second case, involving Joshua A. Iosue (also reported as Joshua Losue in some records), unfolded alongside Durell’s. After the July 2024 incident, Iosue fled on foot but was identified and cited two days later, on July 17, 2025. He too pleaded guilty and, according to the National Park Service, was sentenced on October 7, 2025, to two days in jail, 24 months of unsupervised probation, and $2,510 in fines. He is banned from entering Yosemite National Park for the duration of his probation—a significant blow to any outdoor enthusiast.
The third conviction, perhaps the most harrowing, involves David A. Nunn, who jumped from the legendary El Capitan on July 21, 2020. Nunn’s jump went horribly wrong when he suffered a severe equipment malfunction, colliding with the sheer face of El Capitan before crash-landing at its base. He was rescued by NPS personnel, a high-risk operation that underscored the dangers not just to jumpers but also to first responders. Nunn, who had a prior BASE jumping conviction from 1998, pleaded guilty to violating federal regulations. On September 16, 2025, he was sentenced to two days in jail, 12 months of unsupervised probation, and $760 in fines. He was also ordered to pay $458.77 in restitution for the costs of his rescue, banned from Yosemite during his probation, and forced to forfeit his parachute and harness.
Yosemite Superintendent Raymond McPadden emphasized the park’s unwavering stance on illegal activity, stating, “We do not tolerate illegal activity in Yosemite National Park. Our law enforcement rangers remain efficient, effective, and vigilant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” As quoted by KSEE/KGPE and Newsmax, McPadden added, “These convictions demonstrate the professionalism and dedication of Yosemite’s protection team in upholding federal regulations and ensuring the safety of both visitors and first responders.”
The timing of these convictions is not coincidental. According to Newsmax, the park has seen a sharp rise in illegal activities—including both BASE jumping and unauthorized drone flights—during the prolonged federal shutdown. Observers like Elisabeth Barton, co-founder of Echo Adventure Cooperative, note that jumpers have become more brazen, leaping “at noon instead of 6 in the morning,” and that illegal drone sightings have spiked to as many as seven times a day. The shutdown has stretched federal enforcement thin, and some conservatives argue that the uptick in lawbreaking highlights the broader national security risks posed by lapses in government operations. The White House, meanwhile, maintains that public safety and law enforcement capacity are jeopardized by such shutdowns, with President Donald Trump calling for prioritizing pay for federal officers during these periods.
The dangers of BASE jumping in Yosemite are not theoretical. The park has witnessed numerous injuries, fatalities, and high-risk rescues over the years. The 2015 deaths of renowned climbers Dean Potter and Graham Hunt after a jump from Taft Point remain a somber reminder of what can go wrong. Jumpers not only endanger themselves but also put rescuers and bystanders at risk. As the NPS points out, criminal penalties for violators can include jail time, hefty fines, forfeiture of costly equipment, mandatory community service, and bans from park lands.
Yosemite’s status as a magnet for adventure—and risk—remains undiminished. In 2024, the park was the sixth most-visited in the United States, drawing more than 4.1 million people, according to Newsmax. With so many visitors and such dramatic landscapes, the temptation for thrill-seekers is ever-present. Viral videos have even surfaced, capturing jumpers landing in busy areas of Yosemite Valley in broad daylight, much to the shock of onlookers. In one such video, a voice exclaims, “Right in the middle of the meadow, that’s insane!” as a parachutist touches down amid crowds.
The legal and ethical debates over enforcement in national parks are not new, but recent events have brought them into sharper focus. California’s approach to federal law enforcement, particularly in the context of immigration and sanctuary policies, has long been a flashpoint. Now, with federal shutdowns and enforcement gaps, the question of how best to protect public lands—and those who visit them—has become even more urgent.
For those considering a leap from Yosemite’s cliffs, the message from park officials could not be clearer: the risks are real, the penalties are severe, and the eyes of the law are always watching—even when the government is under strain. As Superintendent McPadden put it, Yosemite’s rangers “remain efficient, effective, and vigilant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” The park’s commitment to safety and the rule of law stands firm, no matter how high the stakes—or the cliffs.
