Wyoming

Hiker Is Found Dead in Wyoming After Being Missing for a Month

Grant Gardner’s body was found by a climbing team on Wednesday in Bighorn National Forest, a week after the authorities called off a search.


Grant Gardner was last heard from after he contacted his wife on July 29 to say that he had climbed Cloud Peak at Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming.Credit...Big Horn County Wyoming Sheriff's Office

By Ashley Ahn
Aug. 30, 2025

A man who had embarked on a three-day hike in Wyoming was found dead after being missing for about a month, officials said.

A professional climbing team descending from a mountain peak in Bighorn National Forest on Tuesday noticed a slight reflection that they identified as a backpack underneath a ledge.

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office deployed a team the next day and found the body of the hiker, Grant Gardner, 38, who had been missing for a month, near the backpack.

Mr. Gardner of Minnesota had planned a hike in Bighorn National Forest, in the northern part of the state, to climb Cloud Peak, its highest peak with an elevation of greater than 13,000 feet.

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Crews searching for Grant Gardner in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming Big Horn County Wyoming Sheriff's Office

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Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.