A Nevada woman ate snow and tomatoes for nearly a week and found shelter in a hollowed-out tree after she became stranded in a winter storm and her boyfriend died trying to find help, a family member said.

Paula Lane, 46, of Gardnerville, is in hospital in Carson City with frostbite after her six-night ordeal, the Nevada Appeal reported.

Her sister, Linda Hathaway, told reporters that God was looking over Ms Lane.

Searchers found the body of Ms Lane's 44-year-old boyfriend, Roderick Clifton, about a mile north of Burnside Lake in California's Alpine County.

The couple were reported missing after they left Citrus Heights, California, on November 29.

Their Jeep Cherokee got stuck during a snowstorm the following morning on a dirt road near the lake.