Park service personnel are equipped to manage this persistently bothersome dimension of their duties.
The United States' national park system offers an immense natural playground for everyone to enjoy, with outdoor activities such as scuba diving at Florida beaches and hiking in national parks in Washington being popular national pastimes. However, several U.S. national parks are renowned for having some of the most challenging and dangerous hikes, testing even experienced hikers both physically and mentally.
In Zion National Park, Utah, the Angels Landing trail is one of the park's most iconic and perilous hikes. This 5.4-mile round trip culminates in a narrow rock fin with 1,500-foot drop-offs on either side, and only chains bolted into the rock for safety. Due to its danger and popularity, a permit reservation system was implemented in 2022 to reduce crowding and improve safety.
Yosemite National Park, California, is home to the Mist Trail up to the Half Dome area, which is extremely popular but also considered one of the deadliest in Yosemite and the U.S. Though not the most technical, the trail has uneven sections and can get crowded, increasing risk. The fast, strong current of the nearby Merced River adds danger, with several deaths resulting from falls or being swept away.
The Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, is home to the Kalalau Trail, an 11-mile trek noted for stunning coastal views but also extreme hazards such as flash floods, cliffs, and narrow, muddy paths. Despite its beauty, the trail has seen multiple deaths and required numerous rescues, including 46 in 2022 alone.
Glacier National Park, Montana, is known for over 700 miles of rugged trails through alpine terrain and peaks of the Continental Divide. Changing mountain weather and challenging routes make it a demanding destination for hikers needing preparation and caution.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho, offers expansive, diverse hiking experiences with hazards including geysers, hot springs, and unpredictable wildlife like bison, requiring hikers to maintain safety awareness and distance from animals.
These parks combine breathtaking natural beauty with some of the most physically demanding and hazardous hiking routes in the U.S., necessitating careful planning, appropriate gear, and respect for the environment and conditions. Angels Landing (Zion), the Mist Trail (Yosemite), and the Kalalau Trail (Nā Pali Coast) stand out as particularly challenging and dangerous hikes nationally.
According to veteran Grand Canyon National Park ranger Bill Vandergraff, some hikers who get into trouble while trekking in the Grand Canyon shut down when the going gets tough. Many hikers think it should be easy to hike downhill, leading to shock and potential panic or shutdown when they realize their body is thrashed after a 5,000-foot descent from rim to river. Taking time to breathe correctly can both sharpen and relax you, as well as increase your mental stamina for outdoor adventures.
Mental preparation is an essential part of any trip deep into a national park, according to Bill Vandergraff. Engaging with the great outdoors is considered as American as hot dogs, baseball, and apple pie, but hikers should be aware that they may not always be treated as babysitters by rangers in national parks. Rangers like Bill Vandergraff and Josh McClean, a ranger in Washington's Olympic National Park, view assisting park guests as a basic job requirement, but acknowledge that hikers' perceptions can sometimes differ from their own.
Josh McClean has encountered hikers who struggle with basic tasks like setting up tents and starting stoves. Hikers should follow 12 tips for safer hiking alone, including keeping fit, packing correctly, having the right gear, learning about the area, and bringing a first aid kit, food, and water. Visualizing the journey ahead of time, viewing fear as a useful tool, and practicing meditation can help toughen up mentally for a big trip into the wild.
However, reducing the risk of an outdoor mishap to 0% is not possible. Getting out into the backcountry in national parks can come with risks such as hypothermia, heatstroke, twisted ankles, broken bones, snake bites, insect stings, and exhaustion. Despite these risks, the allure of the great outdoors remains strong, and for those who are well-prepared and mentally tough, the rewards can be unparalleled.
Travel guides recommending hikes in U.S. national parks should emphasize the need for mental preparation as well as physical fitness, considering the challenging and dangerous routes in parks such as Zion's Angels Landing, Yosemite's Mist Trail, and Nā Pali Coast's Kalalau Trail. Lifestyle choices incorporating outdoor-living and sports, such as hiking, can offer unparalleled rewards, but require home-and-garden-like preparation, including learning about the area, packing correctly, and following safety guidelines.
