A family in Utah gave the community quite a scare when they didn’t return from a hike through Big Cottonwood Canyon on October 11, 2025. An unidentified 31-year-old male set off with his 2-year-old son, 4-year-old son, and 8-year-old daughter near Broads Fork Trail. When the father and children didn’t return after several hours, loved ones reported them missing. A massive search effort began, and thankfully, all four family members survived a night in the elements.
According to a news release, deputies with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office began searching for the father and young children as soon as they heard they were missing. They found the family’s car in the Broads Fork parking lot a short time later, but unfortunately, there was no sign of the dad and his kids.
“Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, DPS Aero Bureau, and Lifeflight immediately responded and initiated aerial search efforts, conducting multiple search patterns over the area,” the release noted.
The following morning, on October 12, the search and rescue team located the father and his children alive. They were in varying conditions, but all needed medical care. According to the sheriff’s office, the father was in fair condition, two children were in critical condition, and a third child was in stable condition. All received treatment at nearby hospitals.
The sheriff’s office did not disclose any additional information about the family, but relatives later identified the man as Micah Smith and one of the children as Ezra. Per a GoFundMe account, Micah suffered third-degree frostbite, and Ezra is on life support.
KUTV’s Heidi Hatch posted about the story on Facebook. Several followers alluded to questionable weather in the area on October 11. They wondered why anyone would’ve set off on a hike that day.
“This is why you always check weather conditions/reports,” someone commented. “Prayers for quick recovery.”
“Praying for them all,” another person agreed. “Still I would like to know why they would go hiking with weather conditions the way they were Saturday.”
Someone else wanted to give this poor dad the benefit of the doubt, and pointed out that he may have been inexperienced and had no idea what they might be up against in Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
“I will add to the conversation that there have always been people who do not live here going for a ‘short hike’ but not understanding what the clouds, the air smell or direction, the birds are telling you,” the person shared. “It’s been happening for as long as I’ve been here. I do not know if that is the case but it happens often enough.”
We surely hope this dad had nothing but good intentions and that he and his three young children make a full and fast recovery.
