Lost hikers coming down snowy summit search for trail ‘in darkness,’ Arizona cops say
A duo on a “casual hike” got lost coming down a snowy mountain summit and searched for the right trail as night set in, Arizona deputies say.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call about a pair of lost hikers — a man in his 70s and woman in her 50s — on Granite Mountain just before 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, deputies said in a Jan. 18 Facebook post.
As the hikers made their way back down the mountain summit, they got lost, deputies said.
They spent about two hours searching for the right trail; however, “now in darkness,” they “realized they were in a dangerous situation,” deputies said.
Despite having no cellphone service, “they were able to call 9-1-1 for help,” deputies said.
After a deputy along with the sheriff’s office’s search and rescue team arrived at the trailhead, they determined the safest way to rescue the pair was by helicopter, according to deputies.
With “windy, dark, and snowy conditions,” deputies said it was uncertain if the pair would have to wait to be rescued until the morning.
As dispatchers spoke with the hikers, they relayed the information to an Arizona Department of Public Safety ranger, who found the hikers, deputies said.
Using a hoist, the pair were brought up to the ranger, who led them back to safety, deputies said.
The “fortunate hikers” were in good condition, “aside from being very cold,” deputies said.
“Even if you have no cell phone service, many phones can still reach 9-1-1 dispatch,” deputies said.
If you call 911 without cell service, it will send a “signal to the nearest cell tower regardless of your service provider,” according to the city of Roseville, California.
Granite Mountain Trail is a little more than 8-mile out-and-back trail, about 120-mile drive northwest from Phoenix, that is “considered a moderately challenging route,” according to the hiking website AllTrails.
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Lost hikers coming down snowy summit search for trail ‘in darkness,’ Arizona cops say."
