NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. — This spring and summer more than 70,000 people will visit the Buffalo National River to go hiking or see one of the dozens of waterfalls.
Park rangers say although the views are worth the hike, some of those trails can be dangerous especially after rain. That’s why they’re asking visitors to take extra safety precautions.
“Plan ahead and prepare, make sure they do their research and know exactly what they are getting themselves into,” Park Ranger Lauren Ray, said.
She said spring and summer are the busiest times of the year for the Buffalo National River and the Ozarks, attracting people from all over the country.
She said with the influx of people Park Rangers also see a spike in accidents.
Earlier this month, a 20-year-old college student died after falling off a 100-foot cliff, while posing for a photo.
Just this weekend, a Texas Teen fell 15 feet from a waterfall while hiking with his family, but Ray said most of the accidents that happen, can be prevented.
“They should make sure that they have appropriate footwear that’s one thing. Slips, trips and falls are a big deal on these waterfall trails.”
She said the trails can get especially dangerous this time of year due to the rain.
“With the rainy season there is going to be more erosion that takes place, so it is more likely that a rock fall can happen this time of year.”
Ray said when planning a trip, hikers need to make sure they’re taking a trail they can handle. It’s something Ken Turner and his wife do every time before they take a nature trip
“If you get a trail that you can’t take care of then it would definitely be hard to prevent an accident on that one.”
Ray went on to say even though it sounds like common sense, when trying to get a picture-perfect view, visitors need to make sure not to get too close to the edge.
“To give yourself at least one body length of room between you and the drop. That means if you misstep you’re at least going to have that much of a margin to make up for that.”
If you do plan on taking a hike out here or plan on coming to see one of the beautiful waterfalls, rangers do suggest you download a trail to the map beforehand.