A group of hikers was rescued June 5 from an embankment in Big Horn Canyon after a powerful flash flood cut off their return route, Utah Bureau of Land Management officials reported.
The group had crossed a dry wash when a sudden surge of water swept in, making it impossible to get back to their vehicle.
Luckily, the hikers had cell service and BLM rangers and Garfield County deputies responded, reaching the group using a combination of on-foot guidance and a hoist system rigged to a UTV stationed above.
BLM staff said that nearby gauges recorded an astonishing rise in water flow—”from just 1 CFS to over 2,400 CFS in minutes. That’s a jump from about 7.5 gallons per second to nearly 18,000.”
Before you say that it could never happen to you: The hikers say that they did check the forecast before heading out and a photo of the rescue captures the partly sunny skies above them. The water came from a storm that dumped rain miles upstream— a reminder that runoff can travel unbelievably far and fast on slickrock.
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