Park County Search and Rescue (PCSAR)

Park County Search and Rescue (PCSAR) is a backcountry search and rescue team composed of 100% volunteers. Our dedicated and professional volunteers donate their time for 5+ trainings per month, and are on call 24/7 to respond to wilderness emergencies. PCSAR relies on donations, fundraisers, and grants to fund our mission to aid those lost and injured in the Colorado backcountry. Our search and rescue services are 100% free. 

In a wilderness emergency, CALL 911. 

Testimonials

Dear Park County Search and Rescue,
On September 9, you responded with kindness, compassion, and expertise to our darkest moment. Without your help and support, who knows what could have happened. Thank you for all that you do. We will forever be grateful.
From a lost hiker

Dear Park County Search and Rescue,
On December 29, a group from your organizations rescued a group of 10 hikers, who were headed to a Section Hut, but never made it. ...I am very thankful for your unselfish act. My 15 year old son was on that trip with two other families. Thank you for risking yourselves, your time and effort.
Thank you from a concerned parent

A thank you note from a subject's family, printed with their permission.
Park County Search and Rescue,
Thank you for everything you did to help get my brother out of the mine.
Our family has been so amazed by all the caring and compassionate people we have met from this tragedy. And all you heroes will never be forgotten.
Your families must be proud to be a part of your lives.
Thank you

A subject from a recent search wrote:
Park County Search and Rescue,
I wanted to thank you again for the search and rescue support on Saturday afternoon. [A fellow hiker] briefed me by phone yesterday evening on the efforts to pinpoint my exact location. I appreciate the professional way your team handled the search and also the careful and competent way the 911 operator handled my initial call to let her know of my predicament.

After a night search, a subject wrote:
I can't thank you enough for being willing to do a night hike in a pouring rain just to help me off the trail. You all are real heroes in my estimation. Thank you for your help in my hour of need. It means more than words can say.

"Dear Park County Search and Rescue,
Frank and I are eternally grateful to Park County Search and Rescue (PCSAR) for helping us out of an extremely precarious position. On October 4 2019, Day 6 of our hike in the Lost Creek Wilderness, we were on a mountain ridge miles from our intended route, having mistakenly followed an unmaintained (but well-marked) trail along Lost Creek. When the trail eventually petered out, we attempted to climb out of the canyon created by Lost Creek in the hope of reaching a plateau that would allow us to find our way back to one of the designated trails. When we reached the ridge above the canyon (the canyon turned out to be Refrigerator Gulch), we were miles from where we wanted to be. After visual inspection of our surroundings, and using a topographical map to consider possible "escape" routes, we determined that any route we chose would be unacceptably risky, and probably technical. After decades of hiking and never having to call for help, we decided to use the transponder we carried (but never expected to use) and send out an SOS. We received a response from the central operator, and were quickly put in touch with volunteers from PCSAR. After being assured that that we were uninjured and fine to spend the night where we were, the PCSAR members determined the best route to reach our location (our coordinates were automatically transmitted), and traveled to the appropriate starting point so that that they could begin hiking at first light. The 3 volunteers who reached us, Daniel Knudsen, Rod McLennan, and Seth Danner, provided us with an ETA even before they started, and maintained contact until we were located (within 15 minutes of the initial ETA). If we could have picked 3 people to rescue us, we could not have done better than these guys. It would be hard to overstate how friendly and supportive they were, and careful attention was paid to all of the important details expected from an experienced SAR team. After packing up, they were able to use their own electronic devices to plot a non-technical route off of our ridge and back to a trail. They gave us water and snacks, and carried one of our heavy packs in addition to their own gear. It took about 6 hours to reach a trail access point where PCSAR and Sheriff's vehicles were waiting with food for us and the PCSAR team. At that point we met 2 other PCSAR members, Wes Sumrall and Katie Grogan, who we learned had begun an approach to our location from a different trail, and then abandoned it once it was determined that the route taken by Dan, Rod, and Seth was the better of the 2 routes...