Drone helps find two lost hikers in northern Minnesota’s Bear Head Lake State Park

Neither hiker required medical attention, but the pair were not equipped to spend the night outside, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 13, 2024 at 3:13PM
Moon over Bear Head Lake State Park
The moon is shown over a lake at Bear Head Lake State Park. (Casey Common/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Two hikers who reported they were lost in Bear Head Lake State Park on Saturday were found in a remote area with the help of a drone, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said.

One hiker called 911 after 6 p.m., but deputies had trouble making contact because of bad cellphone service, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. Law enforcement obtained GPS coordinates that showed the caller’s location at the time of the call. The hiker called 911 a second time and told dispatch there was a second hiker who was lost.

Bear Head Lake State Park is between Tower, Minn., and Ely. The hikers were not local and were unfamiliar with the park.

Deputies found the hikers in a “very remote area” using a drone, the news release said. Members of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad helped lead the hikers out of the woods. The two were not equipped to spend the night outside, but neither needed medical attention.

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about the writer

Greta Kaul

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Greta Kaul is the Star Tribune’s built environment reporter.

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