A father and his three children, who got lost while searching for a Christmas tree in California, have been salvaged after spending three days in the woods as heavy snow fell in the area.

The father, Frederick Dominguez, and his three kids were reported missing on Sunday near Inskip, 190 miles (305 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

They grouped in a culvert under a bridge as a California Highway Patrol helicopter crew spotted them on Wednesday. This was the first day when aerial searches began as over the past three days the weather made it impossible. The helicopter which found the lost family transported them to safety in two trips. Alexis, 15, and Joshua, 12, were taken out of the woods first, and the other two in the second trip.

When questioned about how they got lost, they said that it happened as they were going from pine to pine I order to find a Christmas tree just as they like it.

According to flight officer David White, the helicopter crew has found the lost family on their last pass over the area.

After being checked at Feather River Hospital in Paradise, the Dominquez talked to reported from his wheelchair about the three nights in the woods and how he tried to keep his children from panicking and give in to the cold.

"You just want your kids to be safe and you're just praying, 'God, keep my kids alive,'" he told reporters.

They were saved just in time. Their relatives were beginning to lose hope and an even bigger storm was on its way to the region which dumped more snow in the foothill region about 100 miles north of Sacramento.

Dominquez said that his determination to be strong for his children was what made him hold his nerve. He said that his youngest son was the one who needed constant moral support.

"I said, 'Son, I would tell you what I bought you for Christmas if I thought we weren't going to make it. My kids were relying on me, and I'm scared, but you can't tell them you're scared," the 38-year-old father recalled.

He added they used jokes and songs from their church to keep their spirits up.