Hiker in Colorado found dead in wilderness after failing to return from camping trip

A 36-year-old man died while hiking and camping in the Colorado wilderness near Boulder County's Brainard Lake Recreation Area, officials said.

The hiker was found dead Monday afternoon near the park's Shoshoni Peak mountain following search and rescue efforts, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. His family reported him missing when he failed to return from his camping trip near Lake Isabelle that morning.

Officials located the camper's vehicle in Brainard Lake parking lot initiating search efforts that included a ground team, dogs and a helicopter, according to the sheriff’s office. A deceased man was found around 5:30 p.m., however the body could not be recovered that night due unsafe conditions posed by the location and technical terrain.

Brainard Lake is located south of Rocky Mountain National Park and about 25 miles west of Boulder.

The body was recovered Tuesday by Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control officials via helicopter, and was transported to the county sheriff’s and coroner’s offices, according to the news release.

The cause of death has not been shared, but will be determined by Boulder County Coroner’s Office along with the manner of death and the climber's identity.

Other hiker deaths reported in Colorado this summer

The Boulder County incident follows another hiking death in Dolores County last month when a 21-year-old man from Arizona fell 800 feet while traversing a mountain ridge, according to a San Miguel County Sheriff Facebook post.

In June, a hiker fell 300 feet to his death down a steep snow slope at St. Mary’s Glacier in the Arapaho National Forest, about 40 miles west of Denver, the Alpine Rescue Team said in a Facebook post.

Earlier this month, a missing woman was found alive four days after she embarked on a solo hike in Lone Cone, Colorado, about 60 miles southwest of Telluride.

Gina Chase, a 53-year-old from Victoria, Canada, participated in a spiritual retreat where hikers were discouraged from taking cell phones on their solo hikes "to maximize their experience with nature," San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters in a statement.

Contributing: Julia Gomez and Saleen Martin