Helicopter Crew Rescues Three Hikers Stranded on Steep Sierra Buttes Slope

Three hikers were lifted from a steep slope in Northern California on Sunday after a rescue team lowered a member from a helicopter to reach them. The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the group was pulled from the Sierra Buttes, a rugged range located just south of a lookout tower near the summit.

The alert arrived at 2:30 p.m. when a Garmin inReach satellite device sent an SOS signal to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Deputies immediately initiated a search and rescue protocol, bringing in the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office provided air support with its RAVEN helicopter unit.

Once the crew located the stranded trio, a rescuer was lowered from the aircraft to secure them. The group was then hoisted off the mountainside and transported to a landing zone where Sierra County deputies waited on the ground. The sheriff’s office stated that the difficult terrain and hazardous location made a helicopter hoist rescue necessary.

The Sierra Buttes rise above the North Yuba River canyon. The Pacific Crest Trail Association notes that the mountain reaches approximately 8,600 feet, with a fire lookout positioned near the top. Authorities have not released details on how the three people became stranded or whether any sustained injuries during the incident.

The agency credited the involved teams for their professionalism, coordination, and assistance in completing the rescue. Social media users praised the RAVEN helicopter team for its regional support. One commenter noted that seeing Sheriff Balaam deploy the team anywhere needed shows the unit’s value to the region.

This extraction follows two other major mountain rescues in Northern California earlier this month. Last week, a 39-year-old man from Florida was hospitalized after falling through a snow bridge on the Whitney Glacier and severely injuring his leg. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office reported that bad weather delayed an aerial extraction until the following day.

Earlier in the month, a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman from Salt Lake City were pulled from Mount Shasta after being trapped between cliffs for 36 hours. Both individuals were uninjured, according to authorities.