BOULDER COUNTY — On October 31, 2026, at approximately 4:18 p.m., the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and multiple rescue agencies responded to a report of an injured hiker in the Diamond Lake area west of Nederland.

The patient, a 38-year-old male who was hiking alone, reportedly sustained a fall resulting in multiple injuries, including suspected fractures to his lower extremities. The hiker was conscious and able to communicate with dispatchers.

Due to the remote location and extremely steep, technical terrain, rescuers determined that a helicopter extraction would provide the safest means of evacuating the patient.

The first attempted air rescue attempt resulted in a forced landing near the Fourth of July Trailhead. The Trailhead and surrounding area will be closed to the public while crews conduct aircraft recovery operations. The public is asked to avoid the area and respect all closures. 

At approximately 12:21 a.m. on November 1, a Colorado National Guard Lakota helicopter successfully hoisted the patient from the mountainside and transported him to a landing zone at Nederland Middle - Senior High School. The patient was transferred to an American Medical Response ambulance and transported to a local hospital in Boulder.

The rescue required more than eight hours of coordinated operations involving ground rescue teams, aviation personnel, and incident command staff.

Agencies assisting with the rescue included the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Nederland Fire Protection District, Colorado Search and Rescue, Colorado National Guard, Med Evac, and American Medical Response.