A Rapid City man was critically injured Sunday after slipping and falling about 100 feet while on his way to go tubing in the Falling Rock area of Dark Canyon.

Jake Wagner, 20, was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital early Sunday evening.

Trooper Robert Rybak of the South Dakota Highway Patrol said Wagner and three friends were climbing down the cliffs to Rapid Creek when he lost his footing and fell.

To reach the Wagner, rescue crews had to navigate the winding private roads to the canyon's bottom and then wade through Rapid Creek.

Wagner had to be rafted down the creek to the closest vehicle access point.

Wagner's friends said they had gone tubing in Dark Canyon before but never had taken that particular path down the canyon.

Pennington County Search and Rescue, Rapid City Department of Fire & Emergency Services, Johnson Siding Volunteer Fire Department, Pennington County Sheriff's Office and the highway patrol aided in the rescue efforts.

Over the years, several people have died or been injured in falls from the canyon's rock cliffs overlooking Rapid Creek.

Contact Emilie Rusch at 394-8453 or emilie.rusch@rapidcityjournal.com