Mapping Mudslides: ROCK Ultra LiDAR Supports Fire Recovery at Utah’s Buckley Draw

In the summer following a devastating wildfire in the Wasatch Mountains above Provo, Utah, a sudden storm unleashed a destructive mudslide through Buckley Draw. The debris flow carried tons of material downslope, filling roads, structures, and even pushing four feet of mud inside a local church.

City leaders turned to Sunrise Engineering, who deployed the ROCK Ultra drone LiDAR to map nearly 900 acres of steep terrain. The mission’s goal: capture survey-grade aerial data that could be compared with historic LiDAR, helping geotechnical engineers analyze the slide and plan mitigation.

Mudslide devastation at Buckley Draw, Provo, Utah after wildfire — Buckley Draw mudslide aftermath — survey data captured with ROCK Ultra supports recovery.

Why drone LiDAR was critical

The steep Wasatch slopes posed unique challenges:

Extreme elevation gain from takeoff to peak
Rapidly changing ground conditions after fire and rain
Dense vegetation in adjacent areas
Emergency turnaround requirements

By flying higher, Sunrise could safely survey dangerous slopes without sacrificing accuracy.

At 400 AGL, the power lines are still solid. There’s no gaps in the data, no missing data. The dataset was clean, without the fuzziness we’ve seen elsewhere.

— Kevin Dawson, Sunrise Engineering

Provo wildfire in Buckley Draw, Utah creating steep burn scar — The Provo wildfire scarred Buckley Draw, leaving steep slopes vulnerable to mudslides.

Field experience

The ROCK Ultra allowed Sunrise to map 878 acres of rugged terrain while maintaining efficiency. Even with hot swaps on such a large site, the workflow remained smooth.

We turned it around quickly—on site the day after the call, flew the next day. It’s helping the city and their geotechnical engineers analyze ongoing risk.

— Burton Christensen, Sunrise Engineering

ROCK Ultra LiDAR mounted on DJI M300 flying Buckley Draw mudslide mapping mission — ROCK Ultra mounted on a DJI M300 flying the Buckley Draw survey.

Data quality and insights

The resulting dataset offered clean, detailed surfaces suitable for engineering analysis:

Drainage & flow lines where debris traveled into town
Power line clarity even at higher altitudes
Surface cleanliness with minimal noise
Adjacent vegetation penetration for accurate bare-earth modeling

Jamie Lackner from ROCK Pro Services reviewed the deliverables and highlighted the ability to see subtle ground features, trails, and drainage paths in the surface model—information critical for future slide mitigation planning.

Dataset visuals

Explore the ROCK Ultra Buckley Draw dataset below:

View Dataset

Technical summary

Collected by: Sunrise Engineering + ROCK Robotic
Location: Buckley Draw, Provo, Utah
Total area covered: ~878 acres
Flight height: High-altitude terrain-following (up to ~400 ft AGL)
Flight type: Wildfire + mudslide mapping for geotechnical analysis
Outputs: Raw point cloud, classification, elevation models, contours, orthomosaic

About the partner

Sunrise Engineering has provided surveying, laser scanning, and aerial LiDAR services for nearly three decades, supporting mining, energy, infrastructure, and municipal projects across the U.S. and internationally.

Start your next survey with ROCK Ultra

Whether facing post-wildfire recovery, mudslide analysis, or high-relief topography, the ROCK Ultra delivers the accuracy and efficiency surveyors need to make critical decisions faster.

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