Injured teen flown off Horsetooth Rock

An injured teen hiker was rescued and helicoptered off Horsetooth Rock on Monday morning.

A 4-hour-long rope rescue and hike led to the teen hiker's flight to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, after the 16-year old girl broke her ankle in a fall at the popular day hike west of Fort Collins.

Emergency personnel at the scene said the girl reportedly slid about 50 feet, and then fell another 15 feet into a crevice off the main trail up the mountain. Crews responded to the scene after receiving an emergency call at about 7:30 a.m. The girl was loaded into the air ambulance by 11:45 a.m.

Meanwhile, members of the unidentified girl's family and the three friends she was hiking with waited at the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space parking lot while the girl was being roped and carried off the mountain. They declined to speak with the media during the rescue.

The girl suffered an open fracture to her ankle and minor head injuries in the fall.

Poudre Fire Authority led the rescue with Larimer County Search and Rescue personnel and emergency responders from multiple agencies. About 40 people participated in the rescue.

Rescue personnel temporarily shut down a portion of the trail up to Horsetooth Rock to keep bystanders away from the ropes rescue operation.

The trail up to Horsetooth Rock is a 2.5-mile route that climbs from 5,755 feet to 7,255 feet. The moderately difficult hike requires some rock scrambling at the top, and is one of the most popular hikes in Northern Colorado.

The trail is part of Horsetooh Mountain Open Space, a 2,711-acre open area that includes 29 miles of trails managed by Larimer County.

Return to Coloradoan.com for updates on this developing story.

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