Rattlesnake bite kills hiker at Colorado park

A rattlesnake slithers across the rattlesnake pit at the 48th annual Rattlesnake Round-up in Sweetwater, Texas. (Reuters)

A hiker bitten by a four-foot long rattlesnake Saturday died hours after the incident at a Colorado park, officials said.

Daniel Hohs, 31, was at the Mount Galbraith Park in Golden, about 17 miles west of Denver, when the snake bit him, FOX 31 Denver reported. It took rescuers about 22 minutes to reach Hohs, and a doctor who was recreating in the area also responded, Steamboat Today reported.

A spokeswoman for St. Anthony Hospital in nearby Lakewood told FOX 31 Hohs died at the hospital.

“Dan was so vibrant,” training partner Heather Gollnick told The Denver Post. “He had this huge smile and this energy that just made you happy. It was contagious to everyone.”

Hohs was about a mile out on a trail when he was bit around 12:40 p.m. It's unclear if the snake was captured or got away.

Hohs, a Chicago-area native, attended the University of Michigan and had only recently moved to Golden.

Mount Galbraith Park is a popular location for hikers and offers "spectacular views of Golden," according to FOX 31.