Great Smoky Mountains National Park
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
SMOKIES GUIDE The Official Newspaper of the Smokies • Summer 2025
A day hike to Abrams Falls is a popular outing in any season, but summer brings an increased risk of heat exhaustion. Proper preparation can help your hike stay safe and enjoyable. Photo by Reggie Tidwell.
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Words with a Ranger Hello! Welcome to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As a park ranger interpreter, I help connect visitors with the natural and cultural resources of the park in hopes of inspiring stewardship of our public lands. As interpreters, we don’t interpret a language—we interpret the park, its resources, and its history. We aim to connect visitors with these special places. Since 2023, GSMNP has been working to make outdoor recreation more available for visitors of all abilities. The park is offering several adaptive ranger-led programs that allow visitors of all abilities and their families to explore the park. Park rangers lead hiking, biking, and kayaking opportunities using adaptive equipment, such as off-road wheelchairs and handcycles. We also offer an adaptive Continued on page 12
Preparation is Key for Hiker Safety New ranger crew works to prevent backcountry emergencies
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ver the past year, some Smokies visitors may have noticed more park rangers at their favorite trailhead. Many of these rangers are part of the new Preventative Search and Rescue team—or PSAR—an elite group of first responders that aims to stop emergencies before they start, and respond to them if they do. The Smokies PSAR team includes about 13 National Park Service employees, plus a dozen highly skilled volunteers. Created in 2023, it expanded in 2024 using funds from the Park It Forward parking tag program and additional support from Friends of the Smokies. The team has since interacted with thousands of visitors and responded to hundreds of incidents. “By and large the program has been a major success for the park,” said Supervisory PSAR Ranger Joshua Albritton. “It’s leading to better out-
OUR PARK ON SOCIAL MEDIA
comes for visitors, which is the goal.” In addition to participating in search and rescue missions when a park visitor faces a backcountry emergency, PSAR rangers patrol popular trails, trailheads, and visitor centers, sharing information about trip planning and hiking safety. Rangers might point out lapses in preparation that could lead to an emergency rescue later on—flip flops instead of hiking boots, an overly ambitious itinerary, insufficient food or water—giving visitors a chance to address the issue before walking into the woods. On the trail, rangers might offer a bottle of water to a dehydrated hiker, advice about conditions ahead, or a rapid response to someone in need of medical attention. To stay safe during your next adventure, use the guide at nps.gov/ grsm/planyourvisit/hikingsafety.htm. GreatSmoky MountainsNPS
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PARKING TAG REQUIRED! Parking in the Smokies for more than 15 minutes requires a valid parking tag (annual tag pictured). For more info, scan code with camera app
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