Helicopter crew extracts three hikers from Sierra Buttes ridge
Deputies responded to a satellite distress signal Sunday, requiring a hoist operation on the steep 8,600-foot mountain near the North Yuba River.
By Petra Murphy ·
Three hikers were airlifted from a steep ridge in Northern California on Sunday after their satellite device sent a distress signal to state emergency services.
The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office reported receiving the alert at approximately 2:30 p.m. The SOS call originated from a Garmin inReach unit and reached the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, which coordinated the initial response.
Search and rescue operations involved the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office RAVEN helicopter crew. Officials stated that the difficult terrain and hazardous location made a helicopter hoist necessary. A rescue specialist was lowered from the aircraft to secure the trio, who were then hoisted to a landing zone where Sierra County deputies awaited.
The group was located on the Sierra Buttes, just south of a fire lookout tower near the mountain’s summit. The Pacific Crest Trail Association notes the peak rises to about 8,600 feet above the North Yuba River canyon.
Authorities did not provide details on how the hikers became stranded or if any sustained injuries during the incident. The sheriff’s office credited the participating teams for their coordination in completing the operation.
This extraction follows two other major mountain rescues in the region earlier this month. Last week, a 39-year-old man from Florida was hospitalized after falling through a snow bridge on Whitney Glacier. Crews carried him to a landing zone the day after his injury because weather prevented immediate aerial extraction. Earlier in the month, a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman from Salt Lake City were rescued after spending 36 hours trapped between cliffs on Mount Shasta. Both were reported uninjured.
The Sierra Buttes rescue drew attention on social media, where users praised the RAVEN helicopter unit. One commenter noted that Sheriff Balaam’s use of the team across the region demonstrates the unit's value to local communities.
