National Park Hikes: 10 Essentials To Pack

Above, a mountain lake off Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There have been many stories of people wandering off national park trails and getting lost in the wilderness. While some stories have tragic endings, others have turned out good.

Travel + Leisure has an article on ten essentials to pack for national park visits. These are good for even those who don't plan on hiking in wilderness areas.

They begin with:

If you plan on going to a national park this summer, you better remember to bring the right gear. 

SmokyMountains.com, an online portal for the Smoky Mountains region, analyzed over 100 stories about people who were lost in the wilderness in order to determine the best ways to avoid getting lost and find safety after wandering off the trail. 

According to SmokyMountains.com’s research, survivors in the news stories used different methods to care for their basic needs (shelter, food, warmth, and water): 12 percent of hikers relied on clothes for warmth, 11 percent used camping gear for shelter, 24 percent found a natural source of water (like a stream or lake), and 35 percent relied on rations of their own food supplies to survive until being rescued. 

With this information in mind, SmokyMountains.com points to a list of 10 essential things you need to pack if you’re going on a trip to a national park. Not only are these items key to having an enjoyable hike, but they can also be critical for surviving a dangerous situation.

To read more, go here.