Intense efforts being made in Wyoming to locate missing hiker within the challenging Bighorn Mountains landscape
Missing Hiker Grant Gardner: Search Efforts Suspended After 20 Days
Grant Gardner, a Minnesota man, has been missing for over two weeks after going hiking in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. The search for Gardner, which involved significant resources and manpower, was suspended after 20 days of extensive efforts.
The search efforts included the deployment of drones with cameras, helicopters, planes with FLIR capabilities, dog tracking teams, horse and foot teams, and the Wyoming National Guard. Despite these efforts, no contact or evidence of Gardner was found.
Gardner was last heard from on July 29 after reaching the top of Cloud Peak. He informed his wife that the climb was more taxing than expected and that he was tired. His vehicle was found near the West Ten Sleep trailhead, where he began his hike.
The Cloud Peak Wilderness area, where Gardner went missing, is described as deceptively expansive, remote, and snow is starting to fall at higher elevations. These challenging weather conditions and terrain have made the search efforts difficult.
Gardner, who has been hiking for over a decade, had planned an approximately three-day hike through the Misty Moon Lake area, summiting Cloud Peak, and returning to his vehicle.
Recovery efforts are expected to resume as "time and evidence allow," according to Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn. Gardner and his wife Lauren have two children, according to Cowboy State Daily.
As of the time of this article, there are reports that Gardner has been found dead in the remote mountains over a month after disappearing. The Big Horn County Sheriff's Office received information regarding an overdue hiker in the Cloud Peak Wilderness area on August 1, 2025, and initiated a search and rescue operation.
Our thoughts are with the Gardner family during this difficult time.
Sources:
- Big Horn County Sheriff's Office Facebook post, August 1, 2025.
- Big Horn County Sheriff's Office Facebook post, August 6, 2025.
- Big Horn County Sheriff's Office Facebook post, August 13, 2025.
- Big Horn County Sheriff's Office Facebook post, August 24, 2025.
- Cowboy State Daily, August 24, 2025.
Written by Alex Nitzberg for Digital.
Despite Grant Gardner's extensive hiking experience, the challenging terrain and weather conditions in the Cloud Peak Wilderness area made the search efforts difficult. Regardless, sports enthusiasts continue to hope for a positive outcome in the recovery effort.
