A vehicle belonging to an experienced Colorado hiker missing for more than a week was found Monday afternoon in Goblin Valley State Park, about 30 miles from Green River, Utah.
Rosalie Ann Backhaus, 54, of New Castle left for Moab on Nov. 15 and was expected to return home late the next day.
New Castle Police Chief Chris Sadler said an Emery County, Utah, road department employee discovered Backhaus’ maroon 2004 Ford Explorer about 2 p.m. in a parking lot of the isolated recreation area.
A ground search for Backhaus was launched by park employees and the Emery County Sheriff’s Office, he said.
The search was called off at dark but is expected to resume today.
Backhaus was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab about 8 a.m. on Nov. 16. The last call from her cellphone hit a tower south of Moab about 10:20 a.m. that day.
“She likes to hike all over the place,” Sadler said of Backhaus. “She likes to hike with others,” but when companions are not available, she often will hike by herself, he said.
Sadler said Utah officials told him Monday that “a lot of people get lost” in the 3,654-acre park, which is 70 miles due west of Moab.
In 2005, a planned four- to six-hour day hike by 10 Salt Lake City residents at Goblin Valley turned into an overnight ordeal after they took a wrong turn. A ground search party of about 20, plus a helicopter and plane, looked for the group before they were eventually discovered.
In 2002, two Salt Lake City women got lost in the park for three days before they were found in a canyon just outside the park.
Backhaus failed to report to work at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs — about 12 miles from her home — on Nov. 17.
Sadler said it was highly unusual for her not to call and completely out of character for her to miss work.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
