Hiker rescued from cliffside close to San Francisco after 7-hour mission in dense fog

A hiker trapped after falling from a steep cliffside in Northern California has been rescued following a daring operation in dense fog that lasted by way of the evening in San Francisco.

The seven-hour operation began late Friday and into the early hours on Saturday when an injured hiker contacted 911 after he had fallen close to Useless Man’s level in Land’s Finish, Presidio.

Emergency crews with the San Francisco Fireplace Division not solely needed to battle the darkish, however excessive brush terrain and heavy dense fog as they labored alongside the harmful steep cliffs to find the hiker, who had fallen onto a perch beneath.

Video reveals the unimaginable operation as crews used high-powered flashlights within the rescue to try to find the hiker, together with the usage of a drone.

Firefighters strapped with harnesses created a rope rescue system as they labored collectively to decrease crews down the rocky cliffside in an try attain the hiker.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – San Francisco Fireplace Division continues the technical rescue operation at Useless Man’s Level in Land’s Finish, Presidio.

Firefighters on the cliff face are coping with a number of challenges. The rock face is turning into unstable and the perch the place the sufferer is… pic.twitter.com/vvvLTtenID

— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) June 13, 2026

The emergency operation included “putting in anchor factors alongside the cliff to safe the rescuers and put together for the protected extraction of the sufferer,” SFPD stated.

Whereas crews labored from above, rescue boats have been despatched in to safe the scene from the water.

At one level, situations for the rescue worsened because the rock face grew to become unstable and the perch the place the sufferer was situated started to interrupt down, officers stated.

Because of the elevated chance of the sufferer falling from his perch, the operation shifted to getting the hiker right down to the shoreline.

Officers stated the hiker sustained minor accidents after he slide down the cliff face in a managed descent to the shore the place rescue swimmers aided him by way of heavy surf to ready rescue boats.

He was handled on scene and transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening accidents. 

One of many rescue swimmers additionally sustained minor, non-life-threatening accidents and needed to be transported to the emergency room, SFPD stated. He’s anticipated to make a full restoration.

Due to the situations and placement of the rescue try, crews didn’t initially have visible affirmation of the injured hiker, per SFPD.

Amazingly, although the sufferer was capable of preserve communication your complete time of the rescue with 911 and authorities have been ready to make use of his cellphone triangulation to lastly find precisely the place he was.

---

Obtain The California Put up App, observe us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters