Search Scaling Back For Missing Hiker In Glacier National Park

With no strong clues, a search for a missing hiker in Glacier National Park is being scaled back. Photo of Jakson Kreiser via NPS.

With no signs of a hiker missing in Glacier National Park for the past week, park officials are scaling back the search.

Limited search efforts for Jakson Kreiser, 19, will continue until the probability of finding new information or clues leading to the location of the Michigan man are exhausted, Glacier officials said in a release Sunday.

Saturday's efforts "included investigation of additional boot tracks found Friday in the Floral Park area. The track evidence led searchers into a hazardous cliff band terrain," the release said. "Four teams searched ledges and waterfalls in the Floral Park and Avalanche Basin areas, including a helicopter working in tandem with technical climbing teams. No signs of Kreiser were found."

“The clues we’ve found have been investigated and our available resources depleted with aerial and ground crews covering an expansive and rugged area,” said Incident Commander Scott Emmerich. “We remain hopeful that, in time, additional clues will come forward renewing an active search effort.”

The search for the young man, a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge, began last Sunday after he failed to return following a hike on Saturday. The search area has included the Hidden Lake, Logan Pass, Floral Park, and Avalanche Lake areas. This area includes some rugged terrain filled with rock cliffs, waterfalls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation.

A park incident management team managed the incident with up to 50 people dedicated to the search over the last eight days. North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and the US Border Patrol have assisted the National Park Service with search operations. Human tracker expertise, canine search teams, aerial observations, and ground search efforts have been utilized during the search.

Mr. Kreiser was in his first year working in Glacier. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall, with black, short and curly hair, and a black beard. It is believed he is wearing a yellow/gold sweatshirt and grey colored khaki pants, and carrying a grey and yellow backpack.

Anyone that may have information regarding Kreiser’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800.