Mountain biker rescued near Owsley Canyon trailhead following multi-hour response

By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, September 9th, 2026 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories

UNION COUNTY – On Monday, September 7, multiple local EMS agencies responded to an area within the Mount Emily Recreation Area (MERA), roughly 2.5 miles from the Owsley Canyon Trailhead for a mountain bike accident. The cyclist had reportedly fallen off his bike onto a rock, sustaining critical injuries, particularly to his leg.

Teams from Union County Search and Rescue (SAR) the City of La Grande Fire Department (LGFD), the La Grande Rural Fire Protection District (LGRFPD), and Life Flight Network responded and were able to carry the cyclist out via wheeled litter and UTV before he was flown to a regional hospital for treatment. According to the LGRFPD, the multi-agency effort took over three hours.

A full summary of the response, as originally published by Union County SAR, is as follows:

(Release from Union County Search and Rescue)

On the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 7th, Union County SAR responded with the City of La Grande Fire Department, La Grande Rural Fire Protection District, and Life Flight Network to a report of an individual who had sustained serious injuries from a mountain bike accident in the Mount Emily Recreation Area. 10 SAR team members responded with a wheeled litter and UTV with patient transport capabilities along with fire and EMS personnel.

The patient was injured from a fall off of his bike onto a rock, approximately 2.5 trail miles from the Owsley Canyon trailhead and 1.4 trail miles from the nearest road drivable by ambulance. The interagency rescue team biked, ran, and hiked in to the patient and then used a wheeled litter to transport him down the single-track trail to a trail that could be accessed by the SAR UTV. The patient was then transported by UTV to a helicopter and flown to a regional hospital for treatment.

We’d like to thank all of our response partners for the excellent teamwork that allows us all to be successful, and we’re especially grateful for our SAR volunteers and the volunteer firefighters who drop what they’re doing to rapidly respond to calls like this on a busy weekend.

(Photos shared with the permission of the patient)

(Left photo originally posted by Union County SAR. Right photo provided by LGRFPD)