20 NAU Students, Staff Stranded In Snow

By Laurel Morales
February 24, 2015

A helicopter airlifted 20 Northern Arizona University students and staff who were stranded in snow near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon Tuesday afternoon.

Last week when temperatures were warm, two NAU staff members drove a group of students on unpaved forest roads 30 miles south of Fredonia.

The class field trip was part of the Parks and Recreation Management Outdoor Education and Leadership program.

The group had been camping for several days in the forest when Monday’s snowstorm dropped two feet of snow. During the storm the group attempted to drive out and got stuck.

Coconino County Sheriff’s spokesman Gerry Blair says initially heavy fog and snow held up the rescue attempt. By early Tuesday afternoon the fog had lifted and a helicopter pilot was able to pick up the students three at a time and take them to Jacob’s Lake.

The Arizona Department of Transportation closes State Route 67 every winter because the north rim often experiences extreme winter weather.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been modified to reflect the Arizona Department of Transportation is the agency that closes State Route 67.

Updated 2/25/2015 at 11:01 a.m.