Eleven hikers rescued during flash flooding at Bryce Canyon

Eleven hikers were rescued and two hospitalized Monday, August 24, after heavy thunderstorms triggered flash flooding at Bryce Canyon National Park.

Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos stretch below Sunset Point near the Wall Street section of the Navajo Loop Trail. Flash flooding Monday, Aug. 24, stranded 11 hikers in four groups on trails in the park, prompting a multi-agency rescue effort. Photo courtesy National Park Service.

The hikers were traveling in four separate groups when flooding stranded them on trails in the park, according to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. Rescue operations began around 2:30 p.m. and continued until about 5:30 p.m.

Approximately 15 to 20 personnel from Garfield County Search and Rescue, Garfield County EMS and Bryce Canyon National Park responded. Lightning in the area temporarily delayed rescue efforts, but crews were eventually able to help all four groups to safety.

Two hikers showed signs of hypothermia and were transported to a hospital. The other nine were evaluated and released at the scene.

The flooding affected the Fairyland Loop, Navajo Loop, Queen’s Garden and Peek-A-Boo Loop trails. State Route 12 was also temporarily closed because of flooding but later reopened.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for southwestern Garfield and north-central Kane counties at 2:43 p.m. Monday, reporting thunderstorms and heavy rain over portions of Bryce Canyon.

By 4:14 p.m., National Park Service personnel had reported mudslides and rockfalls in the park and high flows on the Paria River south of Tropic. The Weather Service said up to two inches of rain had fallen primarily over Bryce Canyon and described the ongoing flash flooding as life-threatening.

All 11 hikers were accounted for by Monday evening, and no one was reported swept away by the floodwaters.