Table of Contents
California is a state of jaw-dropping natural beauty. There are the towering granite spires and crystal-clear lakes of the Sierra Nevada, cascading waterfalls in Yosemite’s majestic mountains, and miles of pristine coastline where deep blue waves crash beneath sun-soaked cliffs.
But hidden dangers lurk in each of these sanctuaries — treacherous storms, slippery rock faces and swift river currents all lie in wait for the unwitting, unprepared or unlucky explorer.
Thankfully, there are thousands of search and rescue team members who save hundreds of lives every year, often while putting their own at risk.
These are the five most dangerous places to be rescued in California’s enchanting, yet untamed wilderness, based on the number of fatalities reported at these locations as well as the documented risks in completing rescue missions.
The list, presented here in no specific order, is far from a complete study of the state’s risky wilderness spots because it favors places with a high volume of visitors and, therefore, high demand for rescues. Still, it offers a captivating peek into the perilous work of rescue crews:
1. Mt. Baldy
Los Angeles is often considered synonymous with sunny days, but do not underestimate the stormy conditions that swirl around the county’s highest peak. Since 2020 there have been more than a hundred rescues and a dozen deaths reported at Mt. San Antonio, more commonly referred to as Mt. Baldy.
The 10,064-foot mountain gets its nickname from its bare, treeless summit. That’s also where it gets its deadly reputation.
“If you fall and slip, you’re on a sheet of ice that’s at a 30- to 45-degree angle, and there’s just no way to stop yourself,” said Eric Vetere, commander for West Valley Search and Rescue, which performs around 20 to 30 rescues on Baldy a year.
Hikers navigate a drainage culvert on Mt. Baldy in the winter of 2023.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
People often fail to realize that, although temperatures may be warm at the base, snow can cling to the top of the mountain into May or even June, said L.A. County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kamal Ahmad, who coordinates Baldy rescues with the department’s Search and Rescue Team.
Hikers often require rescue when they venture up without ice axes or crampons — which help hikers stay attached to the mountain — and become stranded or injured. People who become stuck on the mountain overnight can die from hypothermia, he said.
On Feb. 11, 2024, the body of 22-year-old hiker Lifei Huang was pulled from the snow a week after she went missing. Four days later, six hikers were airlifted off the summit when they became stranded in snow as the temperature hovered around 14 degrees.
But even when climbers are experienced and equipped with adequate gear, freak winter storms put them in scary situations. In 2019, West Valley Search and Rescue Team member Tim Staples died on the mountain after he was separated from his crew and trapped in a blizzard during an ongoing rescue mission.
2. Kern River
Floating down the Kern River in an inner tube with a cold beer is a beloved summer tradition for many. But the swift currents at this popular recreation destination have been responsible for the deaths of at least 335 people since 1968, according to a tally by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, giving the river the nickname “Killer Kern.”
“People really don’t understand how dangerous rivers are,” said Lt. Keith Kemmerling with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. “If you’re not a strong swimmer and you don’t understand what whitewater is, you need to stay out of it.”
Because whitewater is around 65% air, people will not float in it even while wearing a life jacket, he said. And once submerged in the Kern’s whitewater, victims are pinned down by 150 to 300 pounds of pressure and smashed against the rocky riverbed.
“People literally get crushed,” he said.
The lower Kern River, next to California 178, flows heavily in April 2023 after winter and early-spring storms.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Drownings and near-drownings are so common that the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office strategically positions six to eight people from its Swiftwater / Dive Rescue Team along the river during popular summer weekends, when many people come to the river to party. Many fatalities are alcohol related, he said.
The annual number of deaths is influenced by how heavy the snowpack was over the winter and, consequently, how heavy the river water flow is during the summer. The worst year Kemmerling remembers was 2017, when his team saw 12 fatalities on the Kern.
That season, he almost lost two of his team members when their rescue boat flipped upside down and one of the men was sucked into a hole in the river.
“We’ve all had really bad days with it, we’ve all had very emotional days with it,” he said, “but we keep coming back because we know how important the work is.”
3. Mt. Whitney
It should come as no surprise that the highest peak in the contiguous United States is also one of the deadliest.
“Mt. Whitney is a perfect example of how dangerous mountain rescues can be,” said Inyo County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lindsey Stine in a statement. “Sudden weather changes, thin air, and steep terrain can quickly turn a routine hike into a life-threatening situation.”
Rescues on Whitney and other Eastern Sierra mountains are frequently carried out by Inyo County Search and Rescue, a volunteer team coordinated by the Sheriff’s Office. Members brave hazardous and unpredictable weather to retrieve lost and injured climbers, often using ropes and harnesses to lower them down the 14,505-foot mountain.
Mt. Whitney, in California’s Sierra Nevada, is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Rescuers face the same dangers as climbers — poor visibility during storms, freezing temperatures, slippery trails and low oxygen. Helicopters are unable to access many points on the jagged mountain, so rescues are often completed on foot.
“I like to tell people that they’re just ordinary people that go into those mountains and do extraordinary things,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Reuther. “People would die if that team didn’t do the things that they do.”
Last year, the team completed 44 rescue missions in the Eastern Sierra.
But sometimes, they can’t get there in time.
In May, a couple, Andrew Niziol and Patty Bolan, fell to their deaths while descending the final section of Mt. Whitney. In October 2023, a solo hiker from France, Tom Gerbier, fell 1,000 feet off a cliff on Whitney known as “The Notch.”
Mt. Shasta, which stands almost as tall at Whitney at 14,179 feet, deserves an honorable mention on this list as it possesses many of the same weather and terrain dangers as Whitney. Indeed, five people have died on the steep, icy mountain since 2022.
4. The North Coast
The rugged cliffs and massive surf of California’s North Coast are a sight to behold — but can become suddenly deadly when a rogue wave sweeps an unsuspecting fisherman or tourist off their feet and pulls them into freezing water.
In the remote coastal stretches of San Mateo, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, the California state park lifeguards perform lifesaving rescues year-round, often armed with little more than a flotation device, fins and their own swimming skills, said Justin McHenry, a superintendent with the lifeguard team.
A view of the the Pacific in Sonoma Coast State Park.
(Laura Sneddon)
Across California, the State Park Lifeguards make more than 10,000 rescues a year, the most dangerous of which typically take place along the North Coast, he said.
“The water temperatures are so much lower than in Southern California, which makes it more challenging for both the rescuer and the victim,” he said. “And when they [lifeguards] are getting in the water to make those critical rescues, it’s often one lifeguard with maybe another lifeguard coming from as much as 50 miles away to back them up.”
In extreme cases, lifeguards perform rescues during 20- to 30-foot swells.
Last spring, two state park lifeguards were awarded Medals of Valor by the California Surf Lifesaving Assn. They swam into Half Moon Bay, home of the massive Mavericks wave, and saved a swimmer from drowning during heavy surf and the black of night.
5. Yosemite National Park
Yosemite is one of the most popular national parks in America, attracting millions of visitors annually. It is also a magnet for ambitious explorers attempting to complete the steep 16-mile round-trip hike up Half Dome or scale the 7,573 feet granite face of El Capitan.
Each year, park rangers and search and rescue team members respond to around 250 emergencies, according to the National Park Service. An average of 14 visitors die in the park a year from falls, drownings, car accidents and natural causes, the New York Times reported.
At least 10 people have died attempting to hike Half Dome in the last decade — some from being struck by lightning, others by slipping into swift river currents en route and several by falling off of the cable section of the hike, which becomes extremely slippery during rain.
Hikers make their way up the Half Dome cables.
(Marc Martin / Los Angeles Times)
Last February, 20-year-old Grace Rohloff became Half Dome’s latest victim when she slipped and fell 250 feet to her death while descending the cables amid a sudden thunderstorm.
Completing rescues on Half Dome and El Capitan frequently requires the use of intricate rope systems or helicopter airlifts. During storms, these missions become a race against time as high winds can preclude aerial rescues, and rain causes rocks to become perilously slick.
So what keeps us exploring? And how do we stay safe?
This list of terrifying natural encounters and heartbreaking losses may make you wonder: Why do we risk it?
Jim Hagar, safety chair for the Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club, has a simple answer: It’s in our DNA.
“The outdoors is our true home and where our minds and our bodies and our hearts thrive,” he said. “You will have experiences you would never have thought that you would have had and will never forget.”
And, he added, the majority of incidents can be prevented with adequate research and preparation.
His top tips are to know your own limits, carefully study the weather forecast, know at what point to turn around in order to make it back before dark, understand the equipment you are bringing and remember the 10 Essentials.
The 10 Essentials are a collection of first aid and emergency items to bring into the wilderness. The list was first created in the 1930s by the Mountaineers, a Seattle-based outdoors club, and have since became sacred guidance for explorers. They include:
- Navigation tools such as map, compass, GPS device, satellite communicator
- Headlamp or flashlight with extra batteries
- Sun protection such as sunglasses, sun-protective clothes and sunscreen
- First-aid kit
- Repair kit such as duct tape, knife, screwdriver, and scissors
- Fire-starting tools such as matches, lighter and tinder
- Shelter such as a tent, space blanket, tarp or bivy sack
- More food than you plan on consuming
- More water than you plan on drinking
- Extra clothes sufficient to survive an emergency overnight
For people looking to improve their skills, Hagar recommends checking out the Sierra Club’s Wilderness Travel Course, an eight- to 10-week course that teaches wilderness navigation, safety camping, and hiking and climbing skills.
