A hiker died Tuesday afternoon after falling from the Devil’s Doorway area at Devil’s Lake State Park.

The Baraboo Fire Department was dispatched around 2:15 p.m. to reports of a hiker who had fallen near the popular rock formation along the East Bluff Trail. Firefighters initially did not know how far the person had fallen or exactly where they were located.

Assistant Chief Mark Willer said firefighter-paramedics trained in rope rescue rappelled from above while another crew searched from below the bluff.

About 15 minutes into the operation, crews located the hiker dead at the bottom of the bluff. According to Willer, the hiker had left the marked trail and gone onto the rocks before falling.

Devil’s Doorway is one of the park’s most recognizable landmarks, attracting visitors for its scenic overlook and views of the surrounding valley. Willer said the formation itself is not meant to be climbed.

The rescue took about three hours due to the landscape at the scene. DNR is handling the death investigation. The DNR said it could not give any other information at this time, including the identity of the person who fell.