Is It Safe to Visit the Smoky Mountains Right Now?

Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) issued a stark warning for visitors planning to explore America’s most popular park.

In an April 2 press release, the National Park Service (NPS) reported that park rangers received a whopping 38 emergency calls inside the park throughout March, including 18 in the backcountry. Half a dozen of these calls required either technical rope rescues or helicopter extractions. Not all the victims made it out alive. Just last week, a woman died after falling from a popular hiking trail—the fifth death this year.

“Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw a high number of emergency incidents this March, and rangers are urging visitors to plan and prepare before heading out into the park,” park officials wrote on Facebook.

In the wake of this surge in 911 calls and accidents, the NPS is reminding park visitors that “rescue is not a certainty” and that the best way to survive an emergency is by preventing one in the first place.

A Record-Breaking Month for All the Wrong Reasons

So, for America’s most popular national park, what does being prepared look like?

Vesna Plakanis has guided in the park for nearly 30 years. She is the co-founder and owner of A Walk in the Woods, a guiding company that leads backpacking trips and day hikes. Plakanis attributed the high number of rescues in March to increased visitation.

“We haven’t seen official numbers yet, but it definitely beat last year as far as visitation,” she said. “So, we’re having an increase in visitors, and as a result, on the trails, we have more people going out into the backcountry completely underprepared.”

But underprepared for what, exactly? From the window of a car on a scenic byway, the Smokies look like gentle, rolling hills. But step off the pavement, and that tourist-friendly illusion vanishes.

The Illusion of the Gentle Hill

Plakanis says four things make the Smokies uniquely treacherous: dramatic elevation changes, dense foliage that reduces visibility, a wide range of microclimates, and the park’s sheer accessibility.

The highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the 6,444-foot summit of a mountain called Kuwohi. This is a far cry from the lofty alpine elevations found in many popular national parks in the American West, but Plakanis said the low elevation is misleading.

“People feel that because our mountains are so much smaller than out West, they don’t have to take them as seriously as they would hiking out in Colorado or California,” she said. “They don’t have respect for what these mountains can do. Yes, they’re smaller peaks, but we’re talking about half a million acres of wilderness. There’s a lot that can go wrong.”

Plakanis added that although the peaks are lower overall, the elevation variance inside the park is staggering. Trails can ascend and descend hundreds of feet in just a few miles. Local hikers have a name for this exhausting topography.

“They call them PUDs, ‘pointless ups and downs,’” Plakanis explained. “You’re like, ‘I think I’ve reached the top,’ but it’s just another hill, and you go down again.”

Why the Terrain is Deceptive

Unlike parks with more dramatic elevation changes, like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, hikers in the Smoky Mountains are also almost never above the treeline. This, coupled with the dense forest canopy, can make it difficult to find one’s bearings.

“If you get off trail, it gets confusing very fast,” Plakanis said. “It’s not like out West, where you can see forever, find landmarks, and pinpoint your location. Here, we have really dense rhododendron thickets that go on for miles.” The locals, she noted, call these thickets “hells” because “they’re hell to get through.”

Hurricane Damage and the Temperate Rainforest Threat

The condition of the trails themselves can also be a hazard. While the highly trafficked routes are well-kept, others are rough and unpredictable.

“We’re still dealing with damage from Hurricane Helene,” Plakanis said, “and we have lots of trails back there that are really torn up.”

Stream crossings, rockslides, downed trees, and washouts are common. Plakanis advises anyone hiking in the Smokies to bring trekking poles, but notes that many visitors don’t.

The Great Smoky Mountains is also a temperate rainforest, meaning the park receives immense amounts of annual rainfall, creating a permanently damp, humid environment where trails are constantly slick, and hypothermia is a threat even in moderate temperatures. Those temperatures can vary wildly, especially during the spring months. It can be a balmy 80 degrees in the lower valleys, Plakanis said, while near the top of mountains like Kuwohi, it could be snowing and below freezing.

Why Easy Access Leads to Hard Rescues

Ultimately, the park’s biggest hazard might be its location. One of the 14 national parks east of the Mississippi River, GSMNP is the closest and largest parkland to much of the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast. That accessibility draws people who aren’t accustomed to the backcountry. Plakanis recalled how, during a recent trip guiding hikers on the Appalachian Trail, which runs through the park, her party encountered a woefully underprepared hiker at a shelter.

“This kid has ratty tennis shoes, an 80-pound backpack, no map, no plan,” she said. “It was late May, and temperatures were still in the 30s at night. We’d had rain and sleet. I asked him, ‘What’s your sleeping bag rated?’”

The following day, she and her group encountered the hiker again at the next shelter. “He had sprained both of his ankles and had run out of tape, so his foot was all swollen up. This guy just illustrates the point that a lot of people underestimate what this wilderness is.” Plakanis eventually convinced the young man to head back out of the mountains.

She said the hiker is a “classic example of someone who has this romantic idea of coming to hike the Appalachian Mountains, but who really didn’t do their homework.”

“Do your homework,” she added.

How to Not Become a Statistic: Expert Tips for Smoky Mountain Safety

In their April 2 release, the National Park Service reminded visitors that “rescue is not a certainty” and they are responsible for their own safety inside the park:

• Research your route and destination: Trails vary widely in difficulty, elevation gain, and exposure. Whether you’re day hiking or backpacking, come with a plan before you arrive at the park. Call the backcountry office at 865-436-1297 for backcountry trip planning advice.
• Carry the right gear: Essentials include plenty of water, warm layers, rain protection, food, a map, and a flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries. Learn about the 10 essentials.
• Have a backup plan: Parking areas and popular trailheads often fill early, so you may need to hike a different trail. Illegally parked vehicles will be ticketed or towed.
• Know your limits: Choose activities that match your physical ability, comfort level, and experience with backcountry terrain.
• Stay weather-aware: Conditions in the mountains can shift rapidly, especially during spring.
• Telling someone your plan: Share details about where you’re going and when you expect to return. Emergencies can happen to anyone!