A 21-year-old man fell an estimated 200 feet Friday afternoon in the Lisa Falls area up Little Cottonwood Canyon.
He and another man had been hiking Upper Lisa Falls when the 21-year-old fell at 3:20 p.m., according to Unified Police spokesman Ken Hansen.
The other hiker could see his companion breathing, but not moving, Hansen said.
The steep, rocky terrain made the rescue efforts difficult. The injured hiker, who is from the Salt Lake area, was hoisted out to the road by helicopter. At 6:15 p.m. was flown to a hospital in critical condition, according to Hansen.
“It took a long time to get this all done,” he said.
Hansen didn’t know how the hiker fell.
Officials closed traffic going both directions in the area at 5:15 p.m. The lanes were reopened 40 minutes later, after the helicopter had taken off.
The area is popular with climbers and hikers.