Two missing hikers have been found alive five days after disappearing on a California mountain.

Gabrielle Wallace, 31, and Eric Desplinter, 33, were found on the Cucamonga Peak, a mountain 53 miles outside of Los Angeles, on Wednesday, 20 miles from where they set off.

Rescuers who had been looking for the pair for days spotted two sets of footprints on Wednesday and started following them.

They summoned a helicopter at the same time which spotted the pair sitting at a campfire and rescued them on Wednesday night.

They had been missing since Saturday evening and had spent the last five days surviving on rations and by drinking water through a LifeStraw which filters dirty dirty water to make it safe to drink.

Gabrielle Wallace, (left), 31, and Eric Desplinter, 33, (right) were found on the Cucamonga Peak, a mountain 53 miles outside of Los Angeles, on Wednesday.

The pair were rescued on Cucamonga Peak which is around 50 miles from Los Angeles

It is not clear how Wallace and Desplinter know each other.

On Saturday, they went hiking in the area with two other people who turned back because they thought it was too dangerous.

They carried on and got lost. At 8pm, friends reported the pair missing.

After being lifted off the mountain on Wednesday night, Desplinter said he was grateful to be alive and eager to get home.

He said they tried to stay as 'warm as possible' and limited how much they ate each day to make sure they had enough.

It is not known how much food they had with them and how long it would have lasted.

'We're very grateful to be found tonight. I'm ready to get to bed and get some rest.

The pair survived by using a LifeStraw to filter dirty water to make it safe to drink. They also had enough food supplies which they rationed

The hikers got lost on Cucamonga Peak after descending into a valley they though was safer than it was

Search teams are shown looking for the pair before they were discovered on Wednesday night

'We rationed our food, drank water through a life straw, kept as warm as possible,' he told ABC.

They got lost on Saturday after deciding to descend into a valley which was more treacherous than they had realized.

The pair are experienced hikers who had the necessary supplies with them, experts said before they were found.

While they remained optimistic that they would be found alive, some described their safe rescue as a 'miracle' on Wednesday night.

'Miracles happen and this is a miracle,' Mike Leum, who was part of the search and rescue team, tweeted.

The pair were being reunited with their families on Wednesday night after being checked over by doctors.

Both are thought to be in a good condition.