In this rugged terrain that stretches over 3,600 square miles and includes two national parks and the Colorado River, search and rescue missions can be dangerous and expensive.
"In about a six or seven days' time, we've spent over $23,000," Grand County Sheriff Jim Nyland said recently.
But with more than a million visitors a year, this county of 8,500 residents can no longer afford to foot the bill.
"A lot of people expect search and rescue to be free," said rescuer Bego Gerhart. "But in rural counties all over the West, how do you afford to be what you need to be with a small tax base?"
So now, Grand County charges those who become stranded and lost.
Mark Mechau had to pay $650 to be rescued after becoming lost one night in his Jeep. He complained that too many people were sent out to find him.
"I'm a little upset about it," he said. "The bill was exorbitant, and I really didn't feel that it was equal to the task."
Search and rescue commander Rex Tanner defends his decision to send five rescuers.
"If we had not been successful in rescuing him, somebody in the family probably would have questioned or, you know, responded with the fact that you didn't send enough people," Tanner said.
How do the costs break down? It costs $275 to send a rescue team out the door, $75 a day for an all-terrain vehicle, $350 for a boat, and $10,000 for a helicopter.
There is some concern that charging for search and rescue could backfire -- that some people, in order to save money, could continue wandering in the wilderness instead of calling for help.
As a result, tour operators are now offering search and rescue insurance.
"For $15, I mean, it's a lifesaver," said Jason Taylor of the Moab Adventure Center. "Or, it could be a lifesaver."
It could have helped a recent group of wayward mountain bikers, one of whom said they "got caught up there in the heat."
"Their billing will come to a total of about $575," Nyland said.
It's a bill one of the mountain bikers said they would gladly pay.
"And it's worth every penny," the mountain biker said. "These guys earned every bit of it."
ABC News' Bill Redeker in Moab, Utah, originally reported this story for "World News Tonight," on Jan. 22, 2006.
