Great Smoky Mountains National Park just wrapped a chaotic March, as rangers and partner agencies hustled across steep, storm-scarred slopes to pull hikers out of trouble. Over roughly four weeks, crews handled 38 emergency calls that ranged from backcountry search and rescue missions to technical rope extractions and multiple medevac flights. In one of the month’s most serious incidents, park staff performed a field resuscitation at Kuwohi, the peak formerly known as Clingmans Dome, and are now warning visitors to plan and respect how fast mountain conditions can turn.
Park logs dozens of emergencies in March
According to the National Park Service, rangers responded to 38 emergency calls in March. That tally included 18 backcountry search and rescue operations, four technical rope rescues, and 15 front-country EMS calls, with four of those patients transported by UT Medical Center Life Flight. The same report notes that two of the incidents required Tennessee Army National Guard hoist extractions, and that rangers “successfully resuscitated a patient on Kuwohi.”
Helicopter hoists and rapid medevac
The park called in the Tennessee Army National Guard for aerial hoists on at least two occasions during the month. In one mission, a UH-60 Blackhawk touched down near the Dillons Gap parking area, picked up a patient, and flew them to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, according to a Tennessee National Guard release on DVIDS. Local television outlets reported similar hoist extractions earlier in March, noting that the Guard and park rangers worked with EMS crews on the ground to stabilize patients before the helicopters lifted off for medevac flights.
Why the numbers climbed
Spring runoff and leftover storm damage have turned many Smokies trails into obstacle courses, with swollen streams, washed-out bridges, downed trees, and erosion raising the stakes for anyone who underestimates the conditions. That risk is magnified by the park’s massive crowds. The Smokies logged roughly 13 million visits in 2023, making it one of the busiest national parks in the country, according to the National Park Service.
How hikers can prepare
Officials urge hikers to pick routes that match their experience level, carry the 10 essentials, and tell someone their plan before heading into the backcountry, guidance summarized by Spectrum News. If a trail is serving up high water, missing bridges, or surprise weather, rangers say turning back is not a failure; it is the safest move.
Their bottom line is blunt: rescue is not guaranteed, and preparation can spell the difference between a pleasant outing and a costly search. Anyone planning a spring trip to the Smokies is urged to check current conditions, opt for lower-risk routes when in doubt, and hit the trail with proper gear in hand.
