- Three hikers were rescued by helicopter from Mt. Olympus early Thursday morning.
- The group got lost after attempting the challenging West Slabs route Wednesday evening.
- Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue warns this route requires skill, proper equipment and planning.
SALT LAKE CITY — Search and rescue crews from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office were deployed Thursday after a group of three college-aged hikers got lost while hiking Mt. Olympus.
According to a social media post from the sheriff's office, the group started at 4 p.m. Wednesday, with a plan to ascend the West Slabs, summit Mt. Olympus, and hike out via the main Mt. Olympus trail.
"After reaching the North Summit after dark, the three hikers down-climbed into the top of Tolcat Canyon and began following cairns down that canyon, rather than climbing up to the South Summit and hiking out the main trail. After several hours of bushwhacking downhill, running low on food, water, energy and phone battery, and ultimately getting cliffed out," said the post.
At that point, the group was able to call 911 and request search-and-rescue assistance.
Due to the call coming in at an "overnight hour" and the hikers being located in extremely technical, difficult-to-access terrain, the sheriff's office requested a Department of Public Safety helicopter to perform a hoist operation to extract the group.
Eventually, all three hikers were safely rescued around 3 a.m. on Thursday.
The post from the sheriff's office noted that the West Slabs to Mt. Olympus circuit is becoming more popular and is an increasingly common call for search-and-rescue.
"Note that this is not simply a hike — it is technical terrain with significant exposure that requires a high level of skill to safely complete. Careful route planning, the correct equipment, and sufficient supplies for a long day out are important parts of this adventure," said the post.
