Key facts
- Name: Chad Pallansch
- Age at disappearance: 49
- Last contact: Around noon, September 27, 2023 — a text message sent from near the summit of Mount Alice
- Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado — hiking from the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake; car found at the North Inlet Trailhead
- Height / build: Adult man, 49
- Status: Still missing — large-scale search suspended after ~two weeks; National Park Service investigation continues
- Case numbers: Not publicly confirmed
- Investigating agency: National Park Service (Rocky Mountain National Park) — NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line 888-653-0009; also 911 for urgent sightings
The text from Mount Alice
On September 27, 2023, Chad Pallansch set out alone on a 28-mile trek through Rocky Mountain National Park. He was 49, from Fort Collins, an experienced hiker taking on one of the park’s great backcountry traverses: from the East Inlet Trailhead on the park’s west side, near Grand Lake, across the high alpine to the Bear Lake area.
Around noon that day, he sent a text message indicating he was almost to the summit of Mount Alice — roughly seven miles from the Bear Lake area. It is the last anyone ever heard from him.
Chad was reported overdue the next day, September 28. Rangers found his car at the North Inlet Trailhead, on the west side of the park — not where he’d started (East Inlet), and a detail whose meaning was never established.
The search
What followed was the kind of search the park mounts when it has reason to hope: large-scale, multi-team, sustained. Ground crews, dog teams, and a drone team worked the high country over Black Lake, Lake Powell, Stone Man Pass, Chiefs Head Peak, McHenry’s Peak, and Mount Alice itself. After nearly two weeks, the large-scale search was suspended. The National Park Service has continued its investigation.
Chad Pallansch remains on the missing-persons rolls. The high alpine country between Mount Alice and Bear Lake keeps its secrets well: granite basins, late-season snowfields, and terrain where a single misstep off a ridgeline can put a person where no search dog will ever reach.
Theories: what might have happened
A fall or accident in the high country. The default theory in wilderness disappearances, and the one the terrain supports. The Mount Alice-to-Bear Lake traverse crosses exposed alpine ridgeline — Stone Man Pass, Chiefs Head, McHenry’s Peak. Solo, at altitude, with weather that can turn in an hour. What supports it: nothing about Chad’s last text suggested distress, which is consistent with an accident that happened after it. What undercuts it: two weeks of intensive searching — dogs, drones, ground teams — found no sign.
Weather or medical emergency. Late September in the high Rockies: a sudden storm, a twisted ankle that becomes a night out, a cardiac event at 12,000 feet. The mountains don’t need a dramatic cause. What is unproven: there is no evidence for any specific medical event, and the search found no shelter, no gear, no trace.
He left the trail — and the park. The car at the North Inlet Trailhead, a different trailhead from where he started. Did Chad change his plan mid-hike and descend a different drainage? If he came out somewhere unexpected and something happened off-trail, or off-park, the search grid may have been looking in the wrong mountains. This is the loose thread: the car’s location was never publicly explained.
Have information?
Contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009 or Rocky Mountain National Park directly. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- September 27, 2023 — Chad Pallansch, 49, of Fort Collins, sets out solo on a 28-mile trek from the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake. Around noon, he texts from near the summit of Mount Alice — about 7 miles from the Bear Lake area. It is his last communication.
- September 28, 2023 — Chad is reported overdue. Rangers find his car at the North Inlet Trailhead.
- Late September – mid-October 2023 — Large-scale search: ground crews, dog teams, and a drone team cover Black Lake, Lake Powell, Stone Man Pass, Chiefs Head Peak, McHenry’s Peak, and Mount Alice. The search is suspended after nearly two weeks.
- 2023–2026 — The National Park Service investigation continues. Chad remains listed as missing.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Chad Pallansch still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Chad Pallansch has been missing for three years. He was last heard from on September 27, 2023, in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Was Chad Pallansch ever found?
No. A large-scale search involving ground crews, dog teams, and drones found no trace of him.
What was Chad Pallansch’s last communication?
Around noon on September 27, 2023, he sent a text message indicating he was almost to the summit of Mount Alice, roughly seven miles from the Bear Lake area.
Where was Chad Pallansch’s car found?
At the North Inlet Trailhead, on the west side of the park — a different trailhead from the East Inlet Trailhead where he began his trek. The reason has never been publicly explained.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information can contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: National Park Service, Rocky Mountain National Park; NPS Investigative Services Branch (888-653-0009).
- News: Associated Press (via MyMotherLode/financialcontent), “Search suspended for missing hiker in Rocky Mountain National Park” (Oct 2023).
- Reference: National Park Service missing-persons records.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.