Two boys stranded 300 ft. down CRR canyon rescued

Two young hikers who became stranded more than 300 feet down the Crooked River Canyon were rescued in a complex, four-hour rope-rescue operation Wednesday afternoon, Crooked River Ranch fire officials said.

Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue’s high-angle rope rescue team was dispatched around 11:40 a.m. on the report of two stranded hikers off of Trout Road on the Crooked River side of the ranch, said Fire Chief Tim McLaren.

They found two boys, 12 and 16, stranded about 330 feet down in the canyon, McLaren said. They were in treacherous terrain, with one stuck on a small rock outcropping, separated from the other hiker, he said.

Fire officials said the boys had a cell phone with them, and called their parents, who in turn called 911 for help.

Seven rope rescue team members and three apparatus from CRR Fire and Rescue responded, along with four members of Jefferson County Fire District No. 1. CRR had four staff and seven volunteers involved in the rescue.

McLaren urged residents and visitors to stick to designated trails when hiking the canyons around the ranch, “as the terrain is very dangerous and you could quite possibly find yourself in a very precarious situation.”