Utah
A wedding band lost outdoors in Utah, and how a search for it gets arranged
Reservoir beaches, resort bases and campsites, plus phones and keys at the trailhead
Bear Lake is 20 miles (32 km) long and eight miles (13 km) wide. Ski Utah puts Snowbird's average snowfall at about 500 inches (12.7 metres) a year. Starvation Reservoir spreads 3,495 acres (about 1,414 hectares) of water around coves and remote beaches. Against places of that size, the search for a lost wedding band starts with one question: where were you standing? A lost ring of any kind, a chain or a set of keys starts with the same one.
Ring Seekers is a lost ring and jewelry recovery service that connects people who lost a ring, wedding band, watch, keys or phone in Utah with a metal detectorist who can search there. Tell us what happened and where. We find a detectorist who can reach the place, brief them with your map and photos, and tell you honestly if the odds are poor.
We also take enquiries for engagement rings, Oura rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, chains, watches, Apple Watches, metal-framed glasses and hearing aids, and for phones, keys and key fobs dropped at a trailhead.
Before you leave the beach, the lift base or the campsite
At a reservoir, stand where you were and photograph the shore with two fixed things in the frame, a boat ramp and a restroom block, say. Note how far up your legs the water came. On snow, leave a pole or a stick standing in the spot and photograph it with a lift tower behind. At camp, photograph the whole site before the tent comes down, and keep the site number.
Then drop a pin, note the date and time, and send it all to us on WhatsApp with a picture of the item. Snow Canyon's own trail guide warns that cell service is unreliable there, so take the photos first and send them once you have signal.
Areas and towns we cover in Utah
- Salt Lake City, Park City and the Wasatch Front
- St George, Cedar City and southern Utah
- Ogden and Logan
- Provo and Orem
- Heber City and Midway
- Hurricane
- Brian Head
- Moab, Arches and Canyonlands
- Capitol Reef and Fruita
- Zion, Bryce Canyon and Lake Powell
- Vernal
- Price
- Richfield
- Bear Lake State Park
- Yuba State Park
- Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation
- Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs
- Sand Hollow and Quail Creek
Utah by its snow, its reservoirs and its camps
Two areas have a page of their own.
Snowbird, Park City and the Wasatch Front reservoirs
Snowbird is six miles (about 10 km) up Little Cottonwood Canyon, and Park City Mountain has two base areas, so on snow we ask which base you were at. In the valley it could be a driveway or a sledding hill at Sugar House Park. In summer it is water: Jordanelle, Deer Creek, Utah Lake, the swimming beach at Anderson Cove on Pineview, the salt water off Antelope Island and the trail to Timpanogos Cave. All of these are on Salt Lake City, Park City and the Wasatch Front.
Sand Hollow, Snow Canyon and the climb to Brian Head
Sand Hollow, about 15 miles (24 km) east of St. George, sets 1,322 acres (535 hectares) of warm water beside red dunes, and people camp on its beach. One of Snow Canyon's short family trails ends at a wide patch of deep red sand. Then the ground climbs to Cedar City at 5,846 feet (1,782 metres) and to the ski runs and tubing lanes of Brian Head at 9,700 feet (2,957 metres). Zion, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, reservoir, trail and ski hill are all covered on St George, Cedar City and southern Utah.
Bear Lake's Marina, Rendezvous Beach and Eastside
Bear Lake lies in the Bear Lake Valley in Rich County and is 208 feet (63 metres) at its deepest. Bear Lake State Park has three separate recreation areas: the Marina, Rendezvous Beach and the Eastside. The Eastside takes in First Point, Cisco Beach and Rainbow Cove, and has campsites at North Eden and South Eden as well as at Rainbow Cove. Utah State Parks describes the terrain on that side as rocky, with water that drops off quickly. On a lake this size, tell us which area you were in, then the campsite or stretch of beach.
Yuba and Starvation reservoirs, Moab's town parks and the smaller towns
Boat-in camping, sandy beaches and warm water are what draw people to Yuba Reservoir, which has developed and primitive camping. Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation has four primitive campgrounds and two developed ones around its reservoir. In Moab, Swanny City Park at 400 North and 100 West is seven acres (2.8 hectares) of playground, open grass and big old shade trees. Lions Park sits on the bank of the Colorado River just north of town, where a footbridge joins the paved trails. In Richfield, Lion's Park at 600 West 400 North has two pavilions, a playground and a ball diamond. We take enquiries from yards, parks and trailheads around Vernal and Price too.
Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef
Near Moab, Arches National Park has trails from a few hundred yards to more than 7 miles (11 km), the walk to Delicate Arch among them. At Island in the Sky in Canyonlands, a 0.6-mile (1 km) loop reaches Mesa Arch on the edge of the mesa, a favorite sunrise spot. At Capitol Reef, visitors pick fruit in the old Fruita orchards along the Fremont River. Give us the trail, the viewpoint or the orchard.
What you can count on when you write to us
You will not be passed around
Whoever answers your first WhatsApp message also finds the detectorist, passes on your photos and lets you know how the search went.
The detectorist sees the campsite before arriving
The site number, the pin, the shore photos and the picture of the band are all with the detectorist before the drive.
You hear how we rate the search
A band lost beside the tent at a numbered site is a small search. One lost somewhere down a long ski run is a big one. We tell you which yours is, and how the odds look, before anything is booked.
Ask about costs in your first message
We explain the costs before any search is booked.
What changes between the day of the loss and the day of the search
The water level is on each state park page
Bear Lake, Yuba, Starvation and Sand Hollow each have a current water level on their Utah State Parks page, because the level is not constant. Where you stood knee deep may be dry beach or deeper water by the search day. That is why we ask for the date, how deep you were and a landmark on shore.
How much snow falls where you lost it
Salt Lake City's first measurable snow comes in early November on the National Weather Service's long-term averages, and December and January each bring about a foot (30 cm). The resorts get far more: Ski Utah's averages run from 360 inches (9.1 metres) a year at Park City Mountain to 500 inches (12.7 metres) at Snowbird. Mark the spot the same day, before the next snowfall changes how it looks.
Camps pitched on sand
Sand Hollow has camping on the beach itself, Yuba has boat-in camping and sandy beaches, and Bear Lake State Park has campsites along its Eastside. In loose sand it may be trodden under within a few footsteps. Mark the patch and keep feet and rakes off it.
Questions from Utah beaches, ski runs, camps and trailheads
I was throwing a ball with my kids at Rendezvous Beach on Bear Lake, about knee deep, when my wedding band flew off. An hour of feeling around with our feet found nothing. Can water that shallow be searched?
Yes. Knee deep off a named beach is water a detectorist can wade. Send a photo taken from where you stood, looking back at the shore, and give the date, because the lake level changes.
I fell on a run at Brian Head, and when I pulled my glove off at the bottom my wedding band was missing. Can a whole ski run be searched?
A whole run is a very big search, so the work is in narrowing it. Check the glove liner and the jacket sleeve first. Then tell us the run and where on it you fell. With that we can say honestly how the odds look.
We camped at Starvation last weekend and my wedding band is somewhere around the site. Back home I looked up metal detecting Utah and ended up more confused. Can a campsite be searched after we have left?
Yes, a campsite can be searched once you are home. Finding a detectorist who can get to the reservoir is our part. From you we need the campground and site number, the dates, and any photos that happen to show the camp.
My engagement ring slipped off on the grass near the playground at Swanny City Park in Moab this afternoon. Should I try a metal detector rental before I bother you?
Yes, try it. A ring dropped this afternoon on mown grass, in a patch you can point to, is the kind of loss a rented detector suits, and the same goes for dry sand. Wet sand, water, snow, a wide area or a small item such as an earring is where a detectorist makes more sense.
My truck keys dropped out of my pack somewhere between the trailhead parking and the first junction on a trail outside Price. Can a stretch of trail be searched?
Yes. A parking area and a known stretch of trail is a search we arrange, for keys and key fobs as much as for rings. Mark where you parked and your route on a map screenshot.
My iPhone came out of my jersey pocket somewhere on the paved path from Lions Park outside Moab, and I only noticed back at the car. What can I do from here?
Open Find My first. Apple says it can show a device's last known location for up to seven days. Screenshot what it shows, and tell us how far along the path you rode.
A diamond earring came out at our daughter's wedding reception on a lawn in Richfield, and the tent comes down tomorrow. Should we make the rental company wait?
No, but get your photos first: the lawn with the tent still up, from two corners, with the dance floor and your table marked on one. An earring is small, so the tighter the area, the better.
Utah
Tell us which beach, which lift or which campsite
Then what came off, and on what day.
A wedding band in reservoir sand, a lost ring on a lawn and truck keys by a trailhead all begin with a WhatsApp message. Say what is missing, where and when, and attach a pin or a photo if you have one. We reply with what to photograph next.