Hiker Rescued From Quicksand-Like Sand in Arches National Park Canyon
Hiker Trapped in Sand Rescued in Arches National Park
An experienced hiker was rescued on Sunday after becoming trapped in quicksand-like wet sand in a small canyon in Arches National Park in eastern Utah. The incident occurred on the second day of the hiker's planned 20-mile backpacking trip, when he sank up to his thigh and was unable to free himself.
According to John Marshall, who coordinated the rescue, the hiker activated an emergency satellite beacon when he realized he could not escape. The message from the beacon was forwarded to Grand County emergency responders, and Marshall received the call about the situation at 7:15 a.m.
Rescue Operation and Conditions
Marshall, who had previously helped a woman stuck in similar conditions in the same canyon over a decade earlier, put on his boots and joined a Grand County Search and Rescue team responding to the call. The team deployed all-terrain vehicles, a ladder, traction boards, backboards and a drone to reach and assist the hiker.
Drone footage provided by Grand County Search and Rescue showed the man being freed from the wet sand on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Arches National Park. Through the drone camera, Marshall observed a park ranger on scene who had tossed the trapped hiker a shovel. However, Marshall said the wet sand flowed back into the hole as soon as the hiker shoveled it away.
The rescue team positioned a ladder and traction boards close to the hiker and worked slowly to free his leg from the near-freezing muck. By this time, he had been standing in the wet sand, in temperatures in the 20s Fahrenheit, for a couple of hours.
Outcome for the Hiker
After freeing the hiker, rescuers focused on warming him until he was able to stand and then walk on his own. Once stabilized, he was able to hike out of the canyon under his own power and carried his backpack with him, according to Marshall.
The hiker was not publicly named in official accounts, but he was identified in an interview as Austin Dirks. Dirks stated that before this trip he believed quicksand was more folklore or legend. He also said that, in his experience, the human body is more buoyant than the quicksand-like sand and that a person will not sink above their head.
Rescue Team Experience and Previous Incident
Marshall has extensive experience with similar incidents and said he is effectively a quicksand expert. In 2014, he served as a medic assisting a 78-year-old woman who had been stuck for more than 13 hours in the same canyon, about two miles from the location of Sunday's rescue. The woman was reported missing when she did not appear at a book club meeting, prompting members of the group to look for her. They located her car at a trailhead, and she was eventually found and made a full recovery after regaining use of her legs.
Marshall stated that in quicksand conditions, people are extremely buoyant and that most individuals will not sink past their waist. He contrasted these real-world conditions with how quicksand is commonly depicted in television shows.
Busy Year for Grand County Search and Rescue
The Grand County Search and Rescue team, which managed the operation in Arches National Park, has handled a significant number of calls in 2025. According to a post made earlier in the month, the team has responded to 140 calls so far this year, accounting for about 2,900 rescue hours. Among these calls were an incident involving a stranded canyoneer whose hair became tangled in a rappel device and a separate incident in which a couple became trapped in their Jeep on a flooded road.
Marshall noted that both the 2014 canyon rescue and the most recent operation in Arches National Park concluded with positive outcomes for those who were trapped.