July 1, 2025: Injured Hiker on the Uranium Mine Trail

RCSAR was paged to assist an injured hiker on the Uranium Mine Trail at Fish Creek Falls. Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue (SSFR) paramedics hiked up the trail ahead of RCSAR and began stabilizing the patient. When RCSAR arrived on scene, team members worked with the paramedics to package the patient in a vacuum mattress and load them into the wheeled stokes for transport to the ambulance waiting at the bottom of the trail.

July 16-22, 2025: Missing Person in Jackson County

RCSAR assisted Jackson County SAR (JCSAR) during a search for an individual suffering a mental health crisis. Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR) helped coordinate additional resources, including dog teams from other counties, and provided strategy and planning assistance. Over the following six days, multiple dog teams, JCSAR and RCSAR team members, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Officers, and officers from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office searched for the individual. Sadly, the individual is still missing. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.

September 5, 2025: Missing Hunter in North Routt

RCSAR received a page regarding a missing hunter in North Routt County. The hunter failed to check in with family the prior night at an agreed upon time. RCSAR dispatched a team of five to search the area near the hunter’s camp. The hunter’s truck was located at the camp, but the hunter’s OHV was not on scene. Given the camp location near the Wyoming border, RCSAR coordinated with Carbon County (Wyoming) SAR regarding the possible use of an aircraft with thermal imaging. A USFS officer located the hunter’s OHV at a backup camp location. RCSAR shuttled the hunter’s partner to the backup camp location to wait for the hunter, who was reported safely back at the camp just after 8:00 p.m.

September 12, 2025: Injured Hunter on Rabbit Ears Pass

At approximately 3:00 p.m., RCSAR was paged for a hunter having a medical emergency in the backcountry south of Rabbit Ears Pass. Law enforcement officers (LEO) with the USFS and CPW responded directly to the scene, reaching the injured hunter at approximately 5:00 p.m. Meanwhile, RCSAR sent a hasty team of two EMTs plus a SSFR paramedic to the scene to provide medical support to the hunter, reaching them 20 minutes after the LEOs. An additional five team members hiked in with the wheeled stokes and extra rescue gear. Initially, Classic Air Medical was unable to fly due to weather, and RCSAR prepared for a difficult extraction, sending three more team members to start clearing the trail of deadfall. The weather cleared, and Classic was able to land close to the patient. However, there was a delay in loading the patient, and the weather window for flying closed temporarily. The team continued providing support to the injured hunter while also preparing to wheel him out in the stokes. Fortunately, the weather cleared once again, and Classic was able to transport the patient to definitive care. All team members were out of the field by 10:45 p.m.

September 13-14, 2025: Missing Hunter in North Routt

RCSAR was paged regarding a missing hunter in the North Routt area. One of the hunters in a party of three failed to return to a designated rendezvous point on time. RCSAR sent a team of three to search, starting at the hunter’s last known point. RCSAR later contacted CSAR for assistance with cell phone forensics to aid in the search. Overnight, one RCSAR team member accompanied members of the Routt County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) and North Routt Fire Protection District (NRFPD) who flew IR drones over the area. Numerous elk and mule deer were located by the drones, but not the missing hunter. The following morning, RCSAR sent seven team members and a K9 into the field to continue searching. The team checked a location of interest identified by the drone team and believed the heat source had been an animal bedded down for the night. In the early afternoon, Classic Air Medical launched its Steamboat-based helicopter to assist with the search. Approximately 26 hours after the hunter was supposed to rendezvous with friends, he found his way to a road, tired but uninjured, and was given a ride back to the staging area by some fellow hunters. RCSAR is thankful for the help from RCSO, NRFPD, Classic Air, USFS, CSAR, Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), Steamboat Springs Police Department, and Routt County Crisis Support.

September 23-24, 2025:

Missing Party in the Rawah Wilderness, Jackson County

On September 23rd, Jackson County SAR requested assistance with an ongoing search for a missing individual in the Rawah Wilderness. The individual had become separated from the rest of his party the previous afternoon, and a winter storm settled in the area that evening. Four RCSAR team members traveled to the area to aid in the search. The weather conditions were challenging with approximately 10-18 inches of wet new snow. While JCSAR, RCSAR, and Larimer County SAR (LCSAR) were searching, CSAR coordinators worked on cell phone forensics through the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC). The search teams were unable to locate the individual that day, and the search was suspended for the evening. RCSAR prepared another team to return the following day while CSAR coordinated assistance from several additional teams. The following day, team members from Grand County SAR (GCSAR) and Arapahoe Rescue Patrol (ARP) and two dog teams from Front Range Rescue Dogs (FRRD) joined the search. Classic Air Medical shuttled the search teams to the search location, and the DFPC coordinated assistance from a Firehawk helicopter and a Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA). Shortly after noon, the individual contacted 911, and the MMA was able to verify his location. The Firehawk picked him up and returned him to a trailhead. He spent two snowy nights out in the alpine, but he was well prepared and stayed calm. In all 19 agencies assisted with the search. We’re incredibly honored to collaborate with these agencies towards a successful outcome.

September 30, 2025:

Injured Mountain Biker on the Swamp Park Trail

RCSAR was paged for an injury rescue involving a mountain biker on the Swamp Park Trail near the Mount Zirkel Wilderness boundary. A hasty team of four RCSAR team members and an EMT from NRFPD took ATVs as close to the mountain biker as possible and then hiked to the biker’s location. After assessing the mountain biker, they requested additional assistance from a SSFR paramedic. A team of three RCSAR team members and the paramedic took RCSAR’s UTV to rendezvous with the hasty team. The team packaged the mountain biker in a vacuum mattress and transported him in a wheeled stokes to the UTV. He was then transported in the UTV to an open field, where Classic Air Medical picked him up and flew him to a trauma center. 

A Final Reminder

RCSAR services are always free of charge, no matter the time of day, the location, or the circumstances. We are a 100% volunteer team dedicated to helping our community and visitors stay safe in the outdoors, and we are available 24/7.

We largely rely on donations to fund our operations. If you'd like to support our mission, please visit https://routtcountysar.org.

Stay Safe, Be Prepared, and Know We're Here to Help.