San Juan County UT Search and Rescue

10/27/2025

On Friday, October 24, San Juan County Search and Rescue responded to assist a male hiker in distress on the Cheesebox Canyon Trail. Rescue crews established a haul system to lift the man approximately 100 feet out of the canyon. After being brought to safety, the patient was airlifted from the scene by Intermountain Flight & Ambulance Services.

01/25/2025

San Juan Deputy is on patrol in the beautiful county we call home. Can anyone determine his current location?

11/07/2024

Write up by the San Juan Record of the rescue on North Six Shooter Peak.

by Bill Boyle San Juan Record Editor

10/30/2024

On Sunday, October 27th, climbers at North Six Shooter Peak called for assistance when a male climber got his foot stuck in a crack. While attempting to free his foot, he became inverted and hung upside down for several hours. Another climber tried to help but couldn't maneuver to assist. The SAR ropes team responded to the emergency call, and Classic Air Medical was contacted to transport crews and provide medical care.

Crews convened on Lavender Canyon Road, where Classic Air Medical conducted aerial surveillance and provided a video of the situation. A hasty team was flown to the top of the peak to start rigging a rescue system, as there was no safe landing near the base due to the steep terrain. SAR and San Juan County EMS were transported to a mesa about half a mile away, from where they had to trek up a steep, rocky hill to reach the climber.

Two rescuers were lowered to safely assist the male. Given the difficult climb, Utah Highway Patrol's Star 8 was requested to provide their hoist system. Once safely on the ground, medical personnel evaluated the climber and prepared him for transport. Star 8 hoisted him from the wall to Classic's helicopter waiting on the mesa, which then flew him to St. Mary's in Grand Junction for further medical care. Star 8 also transported the remaining crew and gear back to the staging area.

A big thank you goes out to both helicopter crews, as this rescue wouldn't have been possible without their help.

07/17/2024

Nice work by Emery County.

03/05/2024

On the evening of 03/04/2024 San Juan SAR was called to respond to the area of the “Falls” in Lockheart Basin for fall victim. A male was reported to have fallen off a cliff near his campsite. SAR crews along with Classic Air Medical responded to rescue the male. Crews rappelled down to the scene to asssit Classic in moving the male to the helicopter. San Juan County SAR is grateful for Classic and the service they provide our residents and visitors.

10/28/2023

Search and rescue was called to Generic crack climbing route in Indian Creek for a male who slipped while climbing causing his knee to be stuck in the crack. The male became stuck around 8pm. His climbing partners tried to free him with no avail. A call was made to SAR to assist. When the team arrived in the parking lot it was determined we would need Classic Air Medical to fly team members to the top of the cliff so they could repel down to the stuck male. After several hours trying to free the male we made a call to Grand County SAR for more man power. With their help the male was free and on the ground safely. After being stuck on the wall for around 12 hours. Thankfully he only suffered minor injuries. A huge thank you to our partners Classic Air Medical and Grand County SAR. Without them this rescue would not have been possible.

07/17/2023

Backcountry heroes always try to bring us back:

A pretty good read about SAR teams and how things have changed over the years with the mind set of people entering the back country.

Molly Absolon of Writers on the Range writes about the ever-growing challenges of search and rescue operations.

03/31/2023

Winter Rescue / Avalanche training

08/14/2022

Picture this. You’re alone recreating in Moab’s spectacular backcountry. Suddenly, you have an accident that renders you unable to walk. You reach for your phone to call or text 911. If you’re lucky enough to have any battery capacity left, there’s a very real chance you will discover that you have no cell service. Would you be able to crawl for several hours searching for a location from which you could call or text 911? We recently had someone do just that.

The rugged country surrounding Moab is notorious for vast areas where cell coverage is non-existent. In many of our incidents, people had to travel considerable distances to report an emergency via 911. This obviously delays any response from rescue or medical personnel.

We’d like to take this opportunity to suggest that you consider adding either a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or a Satellite Messaging Device (i.e.: SPOT or inReach) to your gear list for your visit to Grand County.

PLBs and Satellite Messaging Devices work almost everywhere, using satellite networks to connect you to the nearest emergency services. PLBs are one-way communication devices that transmit an SOS signal along with your geographic coordinates. PLBs tend to be cheaper and do not require a subscription. Many Satellite Messaging Devices, which require subscriptions, allow two-way communication with emergency responders or with family and friends in emergency or non-emergency situations. This valuable two-way communication helps us plan our response and send the right resources.

Earlier this year, a climber sustained life-threatening injuries during an accident. His climbing partner had a satellite messenger and activated the SOS signal, mobilizing emergency services without delay. There was no cell service at the accident location. Thanks to the satellite device, the other members of his climbing party were able to stay and start lifesaving first aid, knowing that help was on the way.