She Set Out for a Solo Hike on Hidden Lake Trail—Two Years Later, a Heartbreaking Find
In the summer of 2021, 24-year-old Sarah Bennett laced up her boots, packed her backpack, and headed for Hidden Lake Trail, a rugged path in Montana’s Glacier National Park. She was chasing adventure, freedom, and a moment to herself in the wild. But Sarah never came back. Her car sat abandoned at the trailhead, her phone silent. For two years, her family searched, clinging to hope as whispers of strange footprints and a cryptic journal entry surfaced. Then, in 2023, a search party stumbled upon a discovery so chilling it left everyone speechless. What did they find deep in the wilderness? Was it an accident, or something far darker?
👉 Dive into the mystery that’s gripped a nation. Click to uncover the haunting truth!
In the summer of 2021, Glacier National Park in Montana was a haven for adventurers, its jagged peaks and pristine lakes drawing hikers from across the country. On July 10, 24-year-old Sarah Bennett, a free-spirited photographer from Boise, Idaho, set out for a solo hike on Hidden Lake Trail, a scenic but challenging path known for its steep climbs and breathtaking views. She told her roommate she’d be back by evening, her backpack stocked with water, snacks, and her beloved camera. But Sarah never returned. Her disappearance sparked one of the largest search efforts in the park’s history, leaving her family, friends, and a small mountain community grappling with questions. Two years later, in 2023, a search party’s chilling discovery reopened the case, shedding light on a mystery that’s as heartbreaking as it is perplexing.
A Dreamer in the Wilderness
Sarah Bennett was no stranger to the outdoors. Raised in Idaho, she grew up camping, climbing, and capturing the world through her camera lens. After college, she worked as a freelance photographer, chasing landscapes that “made her heart sing,” as she wrote in her journal. At 24, she was fiercely independent, often hiking alone to clear her mind. Hidden Lake Trail, a 5.4-mile round trip in Glacier National Park, was her latest adventure. She’d posted about it on Instagram, sharing a photo of her hiking boots with the caption, “Ready for the mountains to tell me their secrets.”
On the morning of July 10, Sarah drove her blue Subaru to the Logan Pass trailhead, a busy spot even in the early season. She signed the trail register at 8 a.m., noting she planned to reach Hidden Lake Overlook and return by 3 p.m. When she didn’t text her roommate, Claire, by evening, Claire assumed Sarah had lost track of time. But by the next morning, with no word, Claire called park rangers. Sarah’s car was found at the trailhead, locked, with her wallet and keys inside. Her phone was off, and her last known location was a selfie sent to Claire at 10 a.m., showing Sarah smiling against a backdrop of Bearhat Mountain.
Rangers launched a search within hours, joined by volunteers, helicopters, and tracking dogs. The trail was rugged but popular, with clear paths and few hazards beyond steep drop-offs and occasional wildlife. Searchers found no trace of Sarah—no backpack, no camera, no footprints veering off the trail. A hiker reported seeing a young woman matching Sarah’s description near the overlook around noon, but she seemed fine, snapping photos. Another witness mentioned a man in a red flannel shirt lingering near the trailhead, but details were vague. By week’s end, the search scaled back, and Sarah’s case joined the grim list of national park vanishings.
A Family’s Desperate Search
Sarah’s disappearance devastated her family. Her parents, Ellen and Mark Bennett, flew from Boise to Montana, joining rangers on the trail and pleading for answers on national news. Sarah’s older sister, Rachel, created a “Find Sarah Bennett” Facebook page, sharing her sister’s photos and journal entries, which revealed Sarah’s love for solitude but also hints of restlessness. One entry, dated a week before her hike, read, “Sometimes I feel like I’m searching for something I can’t name.” The family offered a $25,000 reward, drawing tips from across the country.
Theories multiplied. Some believed Sarah had fallen into a crevasse or been swept away by a flash flood, though no storms were reported that day. Others suspected she’d encountered a bear or cougar, but no signs of an attack were found. A darker theory pointed to foul play—Glacier National Park had seen rare but unsettling incidents of hikers being followed. A local rumor suggested Sarah had met someone online, planning to meet them on the trail, but her phone records showed no suspicious contacts. The lack of evidence fueled speculation, and the case grew cold, leaving Ellen to visit the trail every summer, whispering prayers by Hidden Lake.
A Chilling Discovery
In August 2023, a volunteer search group, organized by Rachel, returned to Hidden Lake Trail for an anniversary search. The team, equipped with drones and trained dogs, focused on a remote section a mile off the main trail, where a ranger had once noted “unusual tracks.” Deep in a thicket, partially buried under rocks, they found a weathered backpack—Sarah’s, identified by her initials stitched inside. Inside were her camera, a water bottle, a torn journal, and a small knife she carried for protection. The discovery was both a breakthrough and a heartbreak.
The FBI took over, analyzing the items. The camera’s memory card, though damaged, held photos from Sarah’s hike, including one timestamped at 1:15 p.m. on July 10, showing a blurry figure in a red flannel shirt in the background. The journal’s final entry, scribbled in haste, read, “He’s following me. I don’t know what to do.” Forensic tests found traces of blood on the knife—not enough to confirm a struggle, but enough to raise alarms. Soil samples suggested the backpack had been moved to the thicket years after Sarah’s disappearance, hinting someone had hidden it.
Investigators zeroed in on a suspect: Thomas Reed, a 38-year-old drifter who worked seasonal jobs near Glacier in 2021. Reed, who matched the description of the man in the red flannel, had a history of petty theft and was questioned in 2021 but released for lack of evidence. Now living in Wyoming, Reed was re-interviewed. His story unraveled when police found a box of women’s hiking gear in his storage unit, including a scarf Sarah’s mother recognized. Under pressure, Reed admitted to seeing Sarah on the trail but claimed she “fell” during an argument after he offered to guide her. He said he panicked, hid her backpack, and fled. He denied harming her but couldn’t explain the blood or the journal entry.
A Heartbreaking Possibility
The FBI searched the area where the backpack was found, using ground-penetrating radar, but found no remains. Reed’s vague account left open two possibilities: Sarah had died in an accident, her body lost to the wilderness, or she’d been harmed, and Reed was hiding more. The journal’s mention of being followed suggested Sarah felt threatened, but the lack of a body kept hope alive for her family. “I can’t believe she’s gone until I see proof,” Rachel told The Missoulian in 2023. “That backpack means she was out there, fighting.”
The discovery shattered the Bennetts. Ellen clung to the journal, reading Sarah’s words as a way to feel close to her. Mark, a quiet man, broke down at the trailhead, vowing to keep searching. The case prompted Glacier National Park to install more trail cameras and launch safety campaigns for solo hikers, especially women. Sarah’s story joined others, like the 2017 disappearance of a hiker in Great Smoky Mountains, fueling calls for better protections in national parks.
A Mystery Unresolved
Sarah Bennett’s disappearance is a haunting reminder of the risks hidden in even the most beautiful places. The backpack’s discovery answered some questions but deepened the mystery. Was Reed telling the truth, or was he covering up a darker act? Could Sarah have survived, perhaps lost or starting anew elsewhere? The Bennetts hold onto hope, inspired by cases like that of a hiker found alive after years missing in the Sierras. “Sarah was a fighter,” Ellen said. “I feel her out there, somewhere.”
The reopened investigation continues, with the FBI analyzing Reed’s movements and new tips from hikers who recall seeing him in 2021. Sarah’s camera, now displayed at a memorial in Boise, stands as a symbol of her spirit—and a family’s refusal to give up. As Rachel put it, “The mountains took my sister, but they haven’t taken our hope.”
