Authorities desperately search for hiker missing in wilderness near Lake Tahoe

A 60-year-old hiker has been missing for nearly a week in the wilderness near Lake Tahoe, leading local officials on a frantic search for the man.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has put out a desperate plea for help locating the man, who hasn’t been seen since around 4:00 p.m. on May 25th.

“The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office needs your help. Our staff are actively working a search and rescue in Desolation Wilderness with Search and Rescue staff. We are currently searching for an overdue subject, Jason Coughran,” they wrote.

“He was last heard from at approximately 4:00 pm on May 25th, 2026. If you were hiking in the area, and came across Jason, please contact the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office at: 530-621-6600 or 530-573-3051.”

Coughran is described as being 6’2″ and 150 pounds with brown hair, hazel eyes, and an athletic build.

It’s unclear what he was wearing at the time of his disappearance. Officials believe he may have worn khaki shorts and a blue and white long-sleeve shirt.

A person, who claimed to be a friend of Coughran’s, wrote on Reddit that more than 100 trained professionals were looking for him. She said she’s trying to assist the search by staying off the trails.

“As much as it pains me to say this, as I desperately want to be out there looking for him too- we help Jason by staying off the trails and letting the professionals collect the data they need to collect to determine where he may have gone,” she wrote.

“They have trackers looking for footprints, scent dogs- the less traffic these areas get, the higher likelihood we have of finding a clue as to where he may have gone.”

The poster, Rachel, said she had photos that the man took on his hike. She added that she’s trying to locate him with his Apple Watch. Commenters said the photos came from near Angora Lake.

The weather in the area shifted from calm to windy and cold after Coughran was last seen on Monday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Desolation Wilderness is “63,960 acres of subalpine and alpine forest, granitic peaks, and glacially-formed valleys and lakes,” according to the U.S. Forest Service.

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