Sedona hikers rescued after snow storm covers trail path

Two hiking groups were rescued as snow fell in Sedona on Tuesday afternoon, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said.

Timeline:

On Jan. 28 at around 5 p.m., Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Forest Patrol and Verde Search and Rescue teams responded to the area of Devil's Bridge Trail for reports of lost hikers.

"The person who called said she was with her 4 children on the trail, but one of the adult children had taken off without her phone. She didn't know where her daughter was at the time she called. The snow moved in and covered the trail, and they were unable to find the appropriate path to get back to their vehicle," the sheriff's office said.

The daughter was able to find her way to the trailhead and meet rescue teams, but her family was still missing.

As teams searched for the family, they got another call for a group that was missing.

"That new caller believed their group was with another group that was also lost, due to the snow and weather conditions. After sorting through the details with multiple callers, the deputy was able to determine a total of 8 people that were lost and needed rescue," the sheriff's office said.

911 dispatch was able to get close coordinates of where the group was, so rescue teams headed to the closest location. The group stayed together as they waited for rescuers, and finally, by 8 p.m., they all made it back to the trailhead.

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Photo courtesy of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office

Hikers injured after being rescued

What we know:

The sheriff's office says the hikers were cold and wet, but were not injured.

More than a dozen volunteers helped in the search and rescue efforts.

"Once again the YCSO Search and Rescue teams prove how incredibly important they are to the community. YCSO sends a huge thank you to all of the volunteers who are called out in every rescue," Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes said.

What you can do:

Learn more about winter hiking tips from the National Park Service by clicking here.

Map of where Devil's Bridge Trail is:

SedonaWinter WeatherNews