Arizona hiker rescued after getting lost on Woods Lake Trail

A 48-year-old Phoenix woman ended up in a nighttime rescue in Dolores County after she was separated from her son while hiking Woods Lake Trail in the high country west of Telluride. Search crews found her just after 10:33 p.m. at about 11,200 feet, ending an approximately two-hour effort that brought in responders from both San Miguel County and Dolores County.

The woman was hiking in the Uncompahgre National Forest and the Lizard Head Wilderness when the pair separated and emergency personnel were notified. Crews moved quickly as dusk faded, and the woman was found cold and lost but not injured. After she was located, responders helped her descend the trail and reunite with her son.

The rescue is a sharp reminder that Woods Lake Trail is not a simple out-and-back stroll once hikers leave the trailhead. Forest Service information says Woods Lake Trail #406 begins at the Woods Lake Trailhead near Woods Lake Campground, heads south through spruce and fir forest, and crosses into the Lizard Head Wilderness after about one mile. It later intersects with the Navajo Lake Trail #635, and the Woods Lake, Elk Creek and Wilson Mesa combination makes about a 9-mile loop. Potable water is not available at the trail site.

For local hikers and visitors alike, those details matter. A route that quickly enters wilderness, connects with other trails and climbs into steep mountain terrain leaves little margin when visibility drops or a group gets separated. The Lizard Head Wilderness covers 41,496 acres and sits about 10 miles southwest of Telluride, placing hikers in terrain where navigation and timing can change fast.

San Miguel County Undersheriff Dan Covault, who leads the Operations Division, used the incident to press a simple summer message: carry extra food, water, clothing and a reliable light source so an ordinary day hike does not become an overnight emergency. San Miguel County Search and Rescue covers about 1,200 square miles, stretching from roughly 5,000 feet to more than 14,000 feet, a span that shows how quickly local resources can be pulled across rugged country when darkness and distance close in.