{"id":15771,"date":"2026-07-21T17:26:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15771"},"modified":"2026-07-21T17:26:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:26:58","slug":"the-truth-behind-that-70000-yosemite-rescue-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15771","title":{"rendered":"The Truth Behind That $70,000 Yosemite Rescue Video"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>Rumors on social media claim a heat-exhausted hiker faces a massive bill after being airlifted off the Mist Trail. The National Park Service set the record straight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"border-border-light border-t py-base-tight\">\n<div class=\"flex h-4 justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-x-base-tight\">\n<div class=\"\"><button class=\"inline-flex shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full cursor-default bg-bg-surface hover:bg-bg-light focus:bg-bg-dark text-primary border border-solid border-border-light aria-pressed:bg-brand-primary aria-pressed:text-text-surface py-very-tight px-base-tight gap-tight font-semibold font-utility-2 opacity-50\" aria-label=\"Loading audio\" aria-pressed=\"false\" id=\"article-listen-button\" disabled=\"\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\" class=\"\"><title>Listen to this article<\/title><path d=\"M12.5265 16.2C12.2326 16.2 12.0122 16.1265 11.7184 16.053C11.2775 15.9061 10.9102 15.6122 10.6898 15.2449C10.4694 14.8775 10.3959 14.4367 10.5428 13.9959L11.5714 10.3959C11.6449 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13.5551 10.3224H13.4816C13.3347 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"hidden sm:inline\">Listen<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Yosemite\u2019s search-and-rescue team responds to approximately 200 to 250 calls every year for incidents ranging from heat illness and missing hikers to climbing accidents<!-- --> (Photo: MichaelSvoboda\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published July 21, 2026 11:14AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>By now you may have seen a viral video on social media about a woman in Yosemite National Park who was supposedly <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/Da_nxa2xMjg\/\">billed $70,000<\/a> for a helicopter rescue in 2024. The story, which involves a hiker referred to as Grace, was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/Da_nxa2xMjg\/\">widely circulated<\/a> on Instagram this week.<\/p>\n<p>Well, <em>Outside<\/em> has learned that much of the story\u2014specifically the sizable search and rescue bill\u2014is fake. Chelsea McCurdy, the operator of a group called <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/trovatrip.com\/host\/profiles\/chelsea-kporj\">Hobbit Hikers<\/a>, which had organized the hike filmed in the video, told <em>Outside<\/em> the nobody in her group had to pay a dime for the rescue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was no bill charged to Grace or anyone in our group. The video claiming there was a $70,000 bill was made by a fake news account using a screen recording of my original video,\u201d McCurdy said. \u201cThere was no ambulance, hospital, or private insurance charges as Grace was safely lowered into a field in Yosemite National Park.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Helicopter rescue in national parks and most backcountry areas is generally free, and the National Park Service (NPS) said that the federal government funds rescues inside of national parks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe National Park Service does not charge visitors for search and rescue operations,\u201d an NPS spokesperson told <em>Outside<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FhobbithikersLLC%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02HTeQ7sPPnyN12auSzPR2VzL4wYjg9m8cDMa39qMa6r2MKGX9ayKj3TNX8ZmmnErRl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"708\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>What Happened on the Hike?<\/h2>\n<p>McCurdy told\u00a0<em>Outside\u00a0<\/em>that Grace was walking on Mist Trail, a seven-mile hike that leads up steep granite staircases alongside Vernal and Nevada Falls. Grace had a thyroid-related medical issue and was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hobbithikersLLC\/posts\/day-2-part-2the-hobbit-hikers-made-it-to-the-top-of-vernal-falls-we-were-feeling\/450446357747824\/\">beginning to black out<\/a> on the trail.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when the group called Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR), who McCurdy said treated Grace with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hobbithikersLLC\/posts\/day-2-part-2the-hobbit-hikers-made-it-to-the-top-of-vernal-falls-we-were-feeling\/450446357747824\/\">fluids and IVs<\/a> on the trail. Rescuers extracted Grace by a helicopter hoist, a technical maneuver when a pilot can\u2019t land and instead uses a cable and harness to extract a person, when it was apparent she wouldn\u2019t make the two-mile hike back down.<\/p>\n<p>McCurdy told\u00a0<em>Outside<\/em>\u00a0that the entire group continued to hike and camp together for the rest of the week, including Grace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are all still friends and any claims stating anything to the contrary are absolutely false,\u201d she added. \u201cAll of the claims made are entirely false\u2014fake news accounts steal content in order to accumulate views based on falsehoods.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>National Park Rescues Are Free<\/h2>\n<p>National parks do not charge people for rescues, regardless of the circumstances. Most backcountry areas in America follow the same policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegardless of whether you\u2019re going to help a hiker who has no headlamp and just needs a little bit of help getting back to the trailhead after dark, or doing a multi-day complicated search in the backcountry, folks are never charged for rescue,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.laurendmiller.com\/\">Lauren DeLaunay Miller<\/a>, a former YOSAR volunteer, told <em>Outside<\/em>. \u201cWe would routinely reassure people that they won\u2019t be charged for rescue services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" style=\"border:none;overflow-y:hidden;background-color:white;min-width:320px;max-width:420px;width:100%;height:420px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiagps.com\/public\/bIt7YIVoanb4D500mavifBSV\/?embed=True\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Does Yosemite Charge for Rescues?<\/h2>\n<p>Yosemite\u2019s search-and-rescue team responds to approximately <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/yose\/learn\/management\/statistics.htm\">200 to 250<\/a> calls every year for incidents ranging from heat illness and missing hikers to climbing accidents. The Mist Trail often draws large crowds and challenges hikers with partial-to-full exposure and steep stone stairs.<\/p>\n<p>Yosemite officials do not take the decision to use a helicopter lightly, DeLaunay Miller said. Responders weigh a variety of factors like a patient\u2019s medical condition, the terrain, the risks of a ground evacuation, and the availability of rescue resources and personnel\u2014not on assumptions about someone\u2019s appearance or fitness. Rescuers likely chose an air evacuation because they believed walking or carrying her out was unsafe, DeLaunay Mill said.<\/p>\n<p>Helicopter rescue operations in the U.S. are an expensive endeavor for search and rescue groups. Depending on the aircraft, flight time, medical assistance rendered, and destination, trail rescues can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n<p>But a national park rescue helicopter and a private medical air ambulance differ in policies and funding allocations, and the NPS <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/orgs\/aviationprogram\/faqs.htm\">states<\/a> that the agency pays for search and rescues from its operating funds. The park pays for rescues costing less than $500, while a federally funded national search and rescue account covers rescues costing more than $500 under a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/subjects\/policy\/mp-8-use-of-parks.htm\">2020 policy<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/exploration-survival\/do-national-parks-charge-search-and-rescue-yosemite\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rumors on social media claim a heat-exhausted hiker faces a massive bill after being airlifted off the Mist Trail. The National Park Service set the record straight. Listen to this articleListen Yosemite\u2019s search-and-rescue team responds to approximately 200 to 250 calls every year for incidents ranging from heat illness and missing hikers to climbing accidents<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}