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Bell Canyon trail marked for hiker safety

Posted at 8:25 PM, Sep 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-01 22:25:49-04

SANDY, Utah -- Bell Canyon offers all of the things Wasatch Front hikers love in a mountain trail: dramatic views, peaceful lakes, a lot of elevation gain along a flowing stream, and even waterfalls.

It also offers precarious drop offs and dangerously fast water tumbling down rocks.

Sandy City installed trail markers Friday to help hikers stay on the trail and to help them communicate their location if they need rescue.

"We want people to continue to use it, but we want to make it's safe for those who do the rescues and those who are hiking," said Sandy Fire Chief Bruce Cline.

The markers are color coded, with the color corresponding to each section of trail, and they show a number indicating how far along the trail the hiker has progressed.

"We probably will never be able to stop them from getting hurt, but this is going to be a way to help us get to the [victim] sooner and for them to know where they're at on the trail marker," Cline said.

Two people died as the result of falls in the canyon in the Spring.

Zachery Zimmerman, 39, fell down a cliff while trail running, and 22-year-old Siaosi Brown fell into the creek, and was swept downstream and killed.

Those were just two of 23 search and rescue operations conducted in the mountains above Sandy this season.