National Park Service issues quicksand alert for Glen Canyon area

PAGE, AZ (AZFamily) — The National Park Service is warning visitors around Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon area to watch for quicksand, an alert that covers more than 1 million acres across Arizona and Utah.

Rangers say the conditions come as water levels at Lake Powell continue to drop. Visitors in the area are advised to stay close to canyon walls and hike with a buddy.

Phoenix guide describes firsthand encounter

Matt Bloomfield, a professional hiking guide from Phoenix, said he first encountered quicksand last year during a trip to the Grand Staircase Escalante in Utah.

“So then we started to kind of squish around in it and noticed that there was a lot of quicksand around,” Bloomfield said. “It kind of shocked me at first because it was like up to my waist when I first fell in.”

Bloomfield said staying upright made him sink deeper. He said he was able to escape by flattening himself and getting horizontal.

“First thing I was trying to do is just kind of flatten myself,” he said. “And then I was able to kind of lean forward and then get my arms out in front of me. So from here I was able to kind of wiggle my legs and get them closer to the surface and then just kind of army crawl my way out.”

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