How many hikers get lost each year (Stats Revealed)

How many hikers get lost each year, and what are the main causes for this?

Table Of Content

1. What state parks Do Hikers Get Lost In The Most?
2. How to Survive When Lost in the woods
3. Bug repellent
4. Sunscreen
5. Summer Hiking Essentials
6. Summer Time Hiking
7. Hiking Boots.
8. Winter Pants:
9. Winter Gloves
10. Here is a list of a few top-notch winter gloves/mittens
11. Insulate the Mid Layer
12. Here are the best snow hiking Accessories
13. Most Common Reasons Hikers Get Lost
14. Here is a quick list of ways to avoid getting lost
15. How many hikers get lost each year

With so many parks and trails to hike throughout the united states, it’s no wonder some lose their way on their journey Hiking is fun but comes at risk also.

Not everyone who plans a hiking trip has the best time, there are a lot of hiking trips that go very wrong, and they end up lost and clinging on for dear life.

People plan hiking trips to state parks each year, they want to experience the outdoors and live a week off-grid, and just forget about the daily stress.

How many hikers get lost each year

There is a stagging amount of people who visit State parks each year.

IN 2022 223,00000 Million people visited state parks across the united states.

With that number, it’s no wonder search and rescue crews have their hands full with incoming calls for lost campers and hikers.

Last year in 2021 SAR ( search and rescue) went on 1,470 calls in state parks, that is a lot of rescue attempts, and most hikers do get found.

How can You Avoid Getting Lost Hiking?

There are a few ways hikers can avoid the all-so-reality of becoming lost while in the woods.

Here is a quick list of ways to avoid getting lost

1. Don’t hike alone, make sure to hike with a friend.
2. Use a hiking trail guide to go in a group with people who know the parks well.
3. Research your hiking plan. Any good traveler will always map out their destinations so they know exactly what to expect along the way.
4. Invest in a good GPS device.

Using a GPS device will ensure that you can safely navigate the terrain that lies ahead.
You will be hiking in areas that are unfamiliar to you, there is no way to know what is over the next ridge unless you have eyes up above, this is where a GPS device comes in handy.

Use your GPS device to help you see where your location is and what direction is the safest and best route to proceed in.

GPS also has Longitude and Latitude so if anyone does become lost these numbers can be sent to a search and rescue station for the exact location.

5. Another thing everyone who hikers should always carry is a compass, when you hike in the woods without trail signs everything tends to look the same.

It’s very easy to get confused about what direction you came from, and you can end up just walking further into the woods and never find your way out.

Keep a good compass with you at all times on hiking trips.

6. Situational awareness is the most important thing you can use when hiking, this is not a tool anyone can buy, this is something that you must have and develop.

Being aware when hiking in a state park is a must, take mental note of a certain tree you passed.

Was that creek on the left or right when you first set out, does the rock face look the same, or did it have any markings on it, there are lots of creek’s waterfalls, and rock faces in a state park.

Not knowing which ones you started from, or have already seen, can lead you to walk in circles, even though you might have a map or a GPS device it can still be hard to get out of a circle pattern.,

7. If there are marked trails in the state parks, then it’s best to stay on those trails, these have signs that help guide you, plus you have a better chance of seeing other hikers.

Deviating from the marked trails is a good way to test your survival ability because you might get lost.

Most Common Reasons Hikers Get Lost

Hikers often get lost when they fail to plan a trip properly.

This could be not checking the weather for that area, not mapping out the planned trip, or going hiking alone.

Hiking alone in state parks that have Thousands of acres of land can result in getting lost pretty easily. Lost hikers can lose track in fog, rain, or even snow.

Think about hiking in a snow flurry, you’re on a hiking trail one second, then the next you are miles off the beaten path because the ground keeps getting covered with white snow.

Hiking in the snow is hard, foot tracks get covered, signs get hard to see, and hikers can get very turned around in this type of weather.

If you plan on hiking during a snow storm, never go alone, join a hiking team, or go with a few friends, this way everyone can keep an eye out for signs and where the trails are.

Here are the best snow hiking Accessories

Keeping the head and ears warm, is a must, how about getting a nice fitting beanie hat, one that looks good, but fits well so it keeps the heat trapped between the hat and your head?

For anyone who doesn’t like wearing something on their head, then consider wearing a warm headband, and ear muffs to keep your head warm.

wool headbands are the warmest option

Finding the best winter jacket is essential for staying warm…

But you don’t want some huge parka that makes you feel like you are wearing 20 jackets while hiking.

Start with a base layer a nice warm long leave shirt that has some thickness to it, but nothing too heavy, because this is your first layer.

You will be warm but not so hot that sweating starts because you won’t be comfortable while you are hiking also.

Wear a wool zip-up jacket as a base layer, with the zipper feature this can allow you to let somebody heat out or zip it all the way shut and keep all your body heat inside.

A good zip-up wool jacket is the ( SmartWool 250 Quater zip

Insulate the Mid Layer

You have the base layer covered, the first layer between your skin and the warm clothing, but now there needs to be another layer to keep the heat trapped between both layers.

It’s always easier to remove clothing to get cooler, it’s much harder to get warm when in freezing conditions.

For a mid-layer it’s pretty simple, just double up on what the base layer is, wear another wool zipper jacket, or get a puffy sweater vest this will repeal water and help the body insulate.

The final layer every hiker must have for snow hiking is a solid durable rain jacket.

No hiker want’s to have their clothes get wet in freezing temperatures.

Here is a really good rain jacket to pick up for a hike during winter.

REI Co-op Rainier Rain Jacket

This jacket is breathable, rainproof, and windproof. This jacket is fixable and easy to walk in. If you encounter rain or snow this jacket will keep you dry.

There are pit zips along the jacket that allow you to vent out any extra heat so it’s not uncomfortable.

Winter Gloves

Frostbite can happen very quickly on the fingers, frostbite is very painful and no one wants to experience that feeling, so be sure to pick the right winter gloves.

Gloves/Mittens

The one glove you will want to stay away from is anything cotton, these types of gloves and mittens are not great for snowy wet weather, as they will become soaked.

Here is a list of a few top-notch winter gloves/mittens

1. Polartec fleece gloves, these gloves are pretty light fixable material, so they don’t feel like bulky gloves, you can grab a hold of everything just as you could barehanded.

The good news is you can work a digital touch screen without taking them off, so if you need to check a phone or a GPS device.

2. Flurry sensor gloves
   These gloves are not bulky but they do have a thicker liner they really add warmth to your hands as a mitten would.
3. Mininmalist GTX Mittens
   These are 100% waterproof and windproof outer shells to keep those hands nice and toasty.

Winter Pants:

Make sure to get some good winter hiking pants you want a waterproof material because snow is frozen water.

Most winter hiking pants will be waterproof and windproof as skiers and winter sports athletes wear them often.

Hiking Boots.

For winter snow hikes, you’ll want a waterproof boot with a thick rubber sole and something that has great gripping traction.

If you are hiking in really thick snow, bring along some snow shoes to help make the hike easier.

Summer Time Hiking

Summer hiking is a great time to enjoy the state parks, but one thing that pops up often is afternoon storms.

Heavy rain can make the trails muddy, which might block hikers from walking on those trails, some hikers would just turn around others might try and go around the blocked trails.

When you decide to go around a trail this means you have to walk into the woods, that are not cleared for hikers, after a heavy rain storm, the hills in the state parks become very hard to travel on.

The best thing to do for a rainstorm while hiking would be to find shelter if possible, or take out a small tarp and nestle under a tree until the storm lifts.

Trying to navigate in a rain store when it’s dark and muddy all around, is very risky and not advisable for hikers, It doesn’t matter the experience level.

Summer Hiking Essentials

Bring lots of water on any summer day hiking trip, the average temperatures in the united states during summer range around 85 F, this gets pretty hot after you walk for miles.

Sunscreen

Protect your skin, make sure when hiking during the summertime that you apply a good SPF 50 or higher sunscreen.

Even if you have long sleeves on and a hat, the sun can still burn your neck top of your hands, and anything that is exposed to the sun can burn.

Bug repellent

Heat sweat and woods equal a manifestation of bugs of all kinds, there is nothing more miserable than swatting away bugs all day.

The best practice for hikers is to bring along these essentials, this is way in case you do stray from the crowds or get lost and have to spend the night in the woods. You’ll have some water and protection with you.

How many hikers get lost each year, is an increasing problem for state parks and search and rescue teams, this is something they are working on.

According to the search and rescue stats, 23% of hikers find their way out of the woods on their own.

If you find yourself lost in the woods. it is best to stay in place, call for help and wait for the search and rescue teams to arrive.

You have water, bug spray, and all the hiking essentials to help you survive for at least a day, if you stay in place and are able to let a search and rescue station know your exact location you’ll be home soon.

However, sometimes things go wrong or maybe the search teams can’t pinpoint the exact location.

This is where survival skills 101 kicks in.

How to Survive When Lost in the woods

Something every hiker should carry in their packs or on them, is a knife, Having a sharp knife will help to cut any rope, or even hunt an animal if it comes down to that.

If stuck in the woods without a tent, the best thing to do is make a shelter out of the tree limbs that have fallen, or if the place you are at has a cave go in there for shelter.

Another good thing to always carry in a hiking backpack is waterproof matches, these will allow for starting a fire.

when lost in the woods at night having a fire is very important.

1. a fire will keep you warm
2. Having a fire will let search and rescue teams be able to see through the trees when flying over.
3. keeping fire lit will also aid in keeping wild animals away from your sleeping area.

Keeping the fire lit and shooting up smoke signals will help.

What state parks Do Hikers Get Lost In The Most?

1. Grand Canyon National park is very dangerous, this park should not be hiked alone and should always be done with a tour guide.

Their search and rescue count is 785

between 2018 and 2020 there was 785 searches and rescues took place at the Grand Canyon

It’s visited by millions of people every year, but the park rangers do give some advice on how to hike, they say
you must stay on trails and stay 6 feet away from the edges.

2. Yosemite National Park: 732 incidents
   There is a mountain in this park called half dome, this is where most of the SAR calls come from, they have had about 732 incidents over a 3-year period.

Three of these incidents still remain open and they are searching for them

3. 3. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: 503 incidents
   this park covers 1,353 square miles. no wonder why people get lost

they still have 3 open searches and 1 closed sense that person was not found.

I don’t write this to scare anyone away from visiting these stunning Parks, but just keep in mind that there is real danger and preparation is key.

only about 75% of hikes who become lost each year get rescued.