A 20-year-old woman survived a roughly 100-foot fall from a mountainside in the Red Hollow area near Cedar City early Thursday morning, according to an October 1 report.
Iron County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene along SR-14 at approximately 6:50 a.m. and found the hiker conscious but experiencing confusion due to a head injury.
Because the terrain surrounding the hiker was steep and unstable, the Iron County Ropes Team and Search and Rescue personnel were deployed to reach her. Crews worked to stabilize the woman and bring her down the mountainside for medical transport.
Intermountain Life Flight landed near a temporarily closed section of SR-14 to fly the hiker to a hospital for treatment. Her medical condition following the flight has not been disclosed.
The Iron County Sheriff's Office noted that Red Hollow has become a magnet for sunrise seekers, including students and other visitors. However, the area contains steep terrain and sheer drop-offs that create life-threatening risks, particularly in low visibility or darkness.
Cassie Meredith, a spokesperson for the Iron County Sheriff's Office, advised visitors to use extreme caution, stick to safe, established routes, and avoid hiking near steep drop-offs in low visibility. This warning follows a previous incident where a 16-year-old was stranded on a cliff near the Red Hollow Trail and required rescue by an SUU aviation helicopter and a high-angle ropes team.
This incident follows a demanding period for Iron County rescue teams. In August, more than 30 responders participated in a complex rope rescue of a 39-year-old woman with a likely broken leg on the Valentine Peak Trail east of Parowan. That operation involved the Iron County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers, the Iron County Sheriff Ropes Team, and the Parowan City Police Department.
Iron County has seen an increase in activity, with crews responding to eight search-and-rescue calls over a few weeks, which was double the volume seen during the same period a year ago. This trend mirrors broader statewide data, such as Zion National Park logging more than 130 rescue operations in 2021.
The rising demand for rescue services is a trend seen across the region. In Salt Lake County, a longtime search-and-rescue volunteer reported that annual call volumes have more than doubled over the last 15 years.
