The Skyline Regional Park in Buckeye has only been open since January and, already, the Buckeye Fire Department has rescued seven people off the mountain.
Four of those incidents have been air rescues, according to Buckeye Fire Capt. Tommy Taylor said. Those are numbers he didn't expect so soon.
The latest air rescue was Monday morning. Crews rescued an elderly woman who became disoriented about a mile up the trail.
Another hiker shared her thanks to rescuers on Facebook earlier this month. She suffered a broken ankle after a slip and fall.
Hiker Robert Fleming says he prepares for the unexpected. Monday night, he and his family tested out the new trails.
"Most people aren't prepared for the elements, the heat, the exertion," Fleming said.
The park has six miles of trails. With different levels of difficulty, they're not all a walk in the park.
"You always start it off and you're like, ‘OK, this is pretty easy.’ But then you get going and you get a little bit tired," hiker Maria Mera said.
By September, Skyline Regional Park is expected to add about 11 more miles of trail. The park will be even busier, and rescue crews expect they will be too.
