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Garfield County, UT — June 6, 2025 — Bureau of Land Management rangers and Garfield County Sheriff’s deputies successfully rescued a group of hikers stranded on an embankment in Big Horn Canyon yesterday after a sudden flash flood cut off their return route.

The hikers had safely crossed a dry wash earlier in the day but a surge of water from an upstream storm flooded the area within minutes destroying their path back to their vehicle. Thankfully the hikers had cell service and quickly called 911. Emergency crews responded swiftly and reached the hikers with a combination of physical guidance and a hoist system deployed from a UTV on the embankment above.

This event highlights the dangers of flash floods in desert terrain:

“This flash flood was powerful—flow in a nearby river jumped from 1 CFS to over 2,400 CFS in minutes. That’s a leap from 7.5 gallons per second to nearly 18,000.” –Bureau of Land Management – Utah 

Bureau of Land Management advises that flash floods can strike without warning. The hikers had checked the forecast but a storm miles upstream triggered a flood after they were already on the trail.

“Always monitor weather as you go, especially in desert or slickrock terrain where runoff travels fast and has nowhere to soak in.” –Bureau of Land Management – Utah 

If you’re hiking in areas where flash flood can happen follow these guidelines:

When water rises: Turn around, don’t drown:

-Stay alert to changing conditions

-Have a satellite communicator if possible

-Know your exits and be ready to climb to safety

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Francis Xavier is a seasoned writer for Unofficial Networks, bringing a lifetime of outdoor experience to his work. Having lived in a ski resort town for years he has a deep connection to mountain culture....

One reply on “Utah Hikers Rescued After Flash Flood Cuts Off Return Route”

  1. Looking at the photograph it appears that the flood was in Harris Wash which is a continuation of Alvey Wash which goes far up into the Kapirowitz Plateau. This is a huge watershed and flash floods in Harris Wash are common and usually occur many hours after the initiating rainstorm up on the plateau. Big Horn Wash is a relatively short and compact drainage, but has some spectacular narrows. I suspect the hikers started from Ten Mile corral and hiked downstream along Harris Wash to Big Horn then encountered the flood when returning along Harris Wash.

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