By Dan Groebner

When was the last time there were three rescue helicopters all operating at the same time in the same area of the White Mountains, at night, nonetheless!?

Believe it or not, that was the case recently when multiple groups of people had to be rescued after becoming stranded in vehicles in the snow, all on the same evening. And each case demonstrates the most common mistakes made when traveling our backcountry roads this time of year.

Many people are lured onto the forest roads by dry and dusty conditions when they start, but all roads eventually wind into the shade of pine trees where snow banks survive longer into the spring and many roads meander into an open meadow where snow drifts have been accumulating all winter long and are in no hurry to percolate into the bedrock.

The Arizona Department of Transportation and the US Forest Service regularly close areas of the White Mountains during the winter since they just can’t keep up with the expensive snow plowing, with all closures clearly posted. However, it’s possible to get into areas that still have drifts preventing further travel that are not officially signed and closed.  

That’s when common sense is supposed to kick in, considering how expensive, tiring, painful, and just plain time-consuming it will be to try and dig yourself out of a snow bank or muddy ditch. Unless you enjoy that kind of thing. Most people don’t realize that the tow truck recovery companies charge by the mile to retrieve your vehicle, so the deeper into the woods you go, the longer you’ll be paying for it!!

Some folks appear to be over confident in the abilities of their fancy expensive off-road vehicles to navigate snow and mud, while other folks put too much confidence in the GPS navigation directions they were following. Yup, one vehicle got stuck when they followed computer directions to take roads from near Heber south to Cibecue over and down the Rim. That was definitely a trip where you did NOT want to take the shortest route!

In that case, the lost folks were all saved successfully, but just barely. One person had left their vehicle and walked miles trying to make a phone call before their phone eventually died. Navajo County Sheriff’s Deputies had a rough idea of where that phone call originated by using a crude “ping” location. That ping came from the National Forest south of Heber where a search was started.  

Unfortunately, the DPS helicopter based in Flagstaff was already busy with a rescue so the local Guardian Flight medical transport helicopter offered to help with their bright spotlight used to search roads below. As the search developed, another call for a group of different stranded motorists was received for the same general area.

Navajo County Search and Rescue was called out for the mission but just had to stage since backcountry travel was impossible in the area of the search due to deep and slushy snow.

With another group needing rescue, the DPS helicopter based in Kingman was dispatched to the area immediately. Deputies then learned that the person walking with the phone left the stranded vehicle down on the Fort Apache Reservation closer to Cibecue at about the same time a helicopter saw flashing headlights from over 4 miles away. That helicopter was able to find the vehicle and amazingly landed nearby at night to pick up and transport all of the stranded motorists. And despite odds against survival when you leave the safety of your vehicle, the person walking back up the rim was also rescued.

Meanwhile, the Flagstaff DPS helicopter became available to assist by locating the other stuck vehicle occupied by two elderly couples. The trees in the area prevented a landing at the site so the stranded folks had to be hoisted into the helicopter from the ground. It took two shuttle trips to drop off the rescued people at the Heber Fire station for medical evaluations, but a DPS emergency medical technician stayed back at the vehicle with the stranded motorists while they waited for the helicopter to return.

Another rescue call just hours later was not quite as technical, as Deputies were able to reach the stranded vehicle in their off-road equipped County Humvee.

So what does it cost to get rescued like this? Actually, the rescues have always been provided free of charge by the Sheriff’s office and cooperators. The complimentary service is provided to encourage people to call as soon as possible to start a search mission, since the quicker a search gets started the more successful it will be.

Once lives and limbs are safe, then there is time to consider the safe recovery of the vehicle that got stuck. But don’t expect any assistance from the Sheriff’s office, the Forest Service or Game and Fish on this task. This is where those adventures get expensive as vehicle recovery companies have to use specialized equipment, drive long distances, and always risk causing more damage to your vehicle during the recovery process.

You can try the do-it-yourself technique, but you better contact the Sheriff’s office to let them know you have not abandoned the vehicle, otherwise it could be towed and you could get fined. Amateur recovery of stuck vehicles always make great YouTube fail videos, so be sure to post yours!!

Unfortunately, the cost of your mis-adventure may not end with the tow recovery charges. Causing damage to public roads can result in fines and restitution charges to make the repairs so the road is safe to drive on again. On top of that, when public agencies have to constantly repair roads to make them safe, it gets too expensive to keep them open so they are often closed, limiting motorized access for future users. It’s easy to figure out who created the road damage when the tracks lead right up to the culprit!!

Backcountry travel conditions at this time of the year are deceiving. Most roads are clear and dusty. But the snow drifts that remain turn into arctic quicksand since the snow has been thawed and frozen for many nights into a “popcorn” or bean bag styrofoam type structure. Digging out turns frustrating as you watch the snow fill in what you just removed as fast as you shoveled!   

Many roads that have been open in the past are now being closed due to vehicle rutting, resource protection and wildlife habitat. If traveling in the National Forest, check out this site to see which roads are open for vehicles and which roads are closed and would make good hiking routes: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/asnf/maps-pubs  Or search for “Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Road Maps.”

Whatever you do, do not trust any phone or vehicle GPS navigation maps if things don’t look right. It’s impossible to keep these maps up to date with the latest conditions and closures. The best way to use some of these navigation aids to get you out of a pickle is to back track the route you took that got you into trouble in the first place. And don’t select “Shortest route” unless you’re ready for an adventure with a full tank of gas in case you get stuck.  

Nevertheless, any backcountry travelers should always be prepared since you never know when you might get two flat tires on the same trip! Phone service is so spotty up here that a satellite connected personal locator beacon or communicator can bring some significant piece of mind and safety factor. Many of the basic models are very affordable and some even allow for two-way messaging.



Rescue personnel and multiple helicopters are not always available to help people in need in the White Mountains. Luckily, things have worked out successfully in some recent incidents, but our weather often prevents search efforts, so personal responsibilities and common sense are still the gold standard in preventing the need for rescue efforts in the first place.