LAYTON — A 17-year-old boy was in serious but stable condition Wednesday after falling an estimated 25 feet near a popular waterfall.

The teen was hiking to the upper falls of Adams Canyon when, for an unknown reason, he slipped and fell, said Layton Fire Battalion Chief Robert Adams.

Other hikers called 911 on their cell phones. The boy likely slid down the steep and very rocky slope next to the falls, Adams said.

"If he had fallen directly off the falls, it probably would have killed him," he said.

The hike to reach the boy was 45 minutes to an hour, but a Life Flight helicopter was able to use a hoist and basket to carry the teen off of the mountain to the command post at the base of the canyon, where an ambulance took him to a local hospital.

The teen suffered severe road rash on his ribs and cuts and bruises on his legs and feet, Adams said. He was expected to be X-rayed at the hospital for possible broken bones.

Rescuers from Layton and Davis County responded to the scene.

Adams said the trail is popular and rescuers are called to the area about two times each summer.

— Pat Reavy