Cloud Peak Search Ends Sadly With Discovery Of Missing Hiker

Search and Rescue has located the body of a  Minnesota man who had been missing since the beginning of August.

On August 26 a professional climbing team from North Carolina summited Cloud Peak. The climbers made a high altitude camp for the night when one of the climbers noticed a slight reflection a few hundred feet above them underneath a ledge. They were confident it was a backpack.

They were running out of daylight and decided to notify the Sheriff's Office via satellite and wait for SAR teams to arrive the next morning.

Grant Gardner’s remains were located near the backpack. Gardner was wearing clothing that very closely matched the terrain he was climbing in.

After a long and difficult recovery, Gardner is being brought home to his family.

The case has been transferred to the Big Horn County Coroner’s Office to determine time, manner and cause of death.

Background

On August 1, 2025 the Big Horn County Sheriffs Office began looking for an over due hiker in the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area.

Gardner had planned on a three day hike through the Misty Moon Lake area, eventually summiting Cloud Peak, and returning to his vehicle.

The last call he made to his wife was on the night of July 29 to let her know he had made it to the summit.

Phone records show he summited Cloud Peak at around 7:00 PM that evening to head to a lower elevation for the night.

A text sent to his wife at the summit indicated the climb was more taxing than he expected and he was tired.

On August 11 the Big Horn County Sheriffs Office put out an update on search and rescue operations. They wrote:

"The Cloud Peak Wilderness is deceptively expansive, remote, and snow is starting to fall at higher elevations above 10,000 feet. Very thorough searches of these areas have been performed. Mr. Gardner could plausibly be in several areas and routes, all of which have been extensively searched."

The search was suspended on August 20. Sherriff Blackburn said "Many team members feel like they have lost a battle by not finding Grant at this time, however, it was not for a lack of effort on anyone’s part. We hope clues will surface that will help bring a final closure to this tragedy in due time."