Fall while hiking kills Cal Poly student near Big Sur

A Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student has died after falling at a Monterey County waterfall, officials said Sunday.

Kenneth Aspen Taylor, 21, fell while hiking near Salmon Creek south of Big Sur on April 6, Andres Rosas, a commander with the Monterey County Sheriff ’s Office, said Sunday. Eyewitnesses flagged down a person who reported the fall, which occurred near a canyon that has poor cell service, Rosas said.

In a statement posted to the university website, representatives for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo confirmed Taylor’s death, writing that the mechanical engineering major died in an accident during a trip to Big Sur. The trip was not connected with the university, spokesperson Matt Lazier said Sunday.

The Salmon Creek area is south of the cratered portion of Highway 1 near Big Sur that collapsed during heavy rains last month, Rosas said, rendering it inaccessible to Monterey County rescue crews.

Instead, rescuers from San Luis Obispo County were dispatched to recover Taylor’s body.

Taylor’s fatal fall came two weeks after the body of a Monterey County woman was found at the bottom of a waterfall after she disappeared during a hike in the Carmel Valley on the Horse Pasture Trail.

Medical examiners identified Taylor as a resident of Richland, Wash. The cause of death was ruled as accidental multiple blunt force trauma.

Taylor was “an outdoor enthusiast” and a founding member of Cal Poly’s Alpine Club, university representatives said.

A memorial service was held for Taylor on campus Friday. His family requested that attendees wear a flannel shirt to honor his passion for the outdoors, the university said.

Reach Nora Mishanec: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com