The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to reports of a hiker in distress near Anza shortly before noon on April 9.
A sign marks the Pacific Crest Trail near Warner Springs, California. (Photo: Noah Sauve / Editorial RF via Getty)
Updated April 9, 2026 06:31PM
A hiker died on a desert section of the Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California on Thursday after what authorities described as a “medical emergency.”
In an emailed statement to Backpacker, a spokesperson for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said that at 11:48 a.m. on April 9, deputies responded to a report of a hiker suffering a medical event near Coyote Canyon Road, a Jeep road that crosses the trail near the community of Anza at Mile 140, on California Section B of the PCT. Because of the distance from the nearest paved road, the department requested help from its aviation unit, which responded to the scene.
“Deputies reached the hiker and provided medical aid; however, the hiker was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the spokesperson wrote. “The Riverside Coroner’s Bureau was contacted and responded to assume the investigation. The Aviation Unit is currently assisting in retrieving the decedent from the remote area on the hiking trail.” The sheriff’s office declined to share additional information, citing the ongoing investigation.
Extending nearly 100 miles from Warner Springs to the trail’s intersection with I-10 near Whitewater, CA Section B runs through the high desert of Southern California before climbing into the San Jacinto Mountains, widely considered the first serious peaks of the trail that northbound thru-hikers encounter.
This is a developing story and Backpacker will update it as more information becomes available.
Corey Buhay provided additional reporting.