Search crews and CHP officers airlift 4 hikers lost in El Dorado County mountains

California Highway Patrol officers rescued four hikers Friday from a remote El Dorado County site after they got lost in the mountains.

In a news release, the CHP Valley Division’s Air Operations office said the hikers were picked up via helicopter before sunset.

The hikers were out at Wrights Lake, a remote body of water southwest of Lake Tahoe in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountains with several adjacent trailheads, but few access roads.

El Dorado County Search and Rescue officials were sent out to a trail near the lake in an attempt to find the lost hikers.

A CHP helicopter arrived to assist and spotted them while flying overhead.

Officers landed the helicopter and were able to transport them back to the Wrights Lake landing zone. From there, the hikers walked back to their cars to head home.

This story was originally published June 21, 2020 at 1:12 PM.