(CNN) A family stranded in the snowy expanses of the Rockies was found safe on Christmas Eve after going missing for 24 hours.

The couple in their early 30s and their 12-year-old daughter had set off from El Paso, Texas, en route to Norwood, Colorado, to make a furniture delivery. That journey is nearly 600 miles and could take 10 hours by car.

But in Colorado's San Juan National Forest, their rented Penske truck got stuck in the snow.

The family "tried to dig the truck out, but were unsuccessful," Susan Lilly, a spokeswoman for the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office, told CNN.

"The family stayed warm by running the truck engine and covering with furniture blankets," Lilly said. "This morning they wrapped their tennis shoes with shipping plastic to help walk in snow and started walking."

Read More