There’s nothing quite like immersing yourself in the great outdoors with an excellent hike. Fresh air? Peace and quiet? Stunning views? Yes, please. But as awesomely invigorating as hiking can be, it also carries some real risks.

“No matter how experienced you are or where you’re going, unexpected things can and do happen in a wilderness setting,” Christine Hoyer, a ranger and backcountry management specialist at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, tells SELF.

Fortunately, there are many ways to minimize your odds of encountering an emergency while hiking and equip you to handle one just in case. “The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to have a good time and stay safe,” Hoyer says.

These expert safety tips are crafted to help you prep smart and trek smart. Make sure to follow them before and during every hike.

1. Consult a park ranger.

When deciding where to hike, your best bet is typically going to be a national or state park. They’re staffed by rangers with a wealth of information about what you need to stay safe in that particular location. Give the park office a call before your hike, visit the official National Park Service (NPS) site, or stop by the office before you leave the trailhead.

“By reaching out to the park department, you’ll get a lot of key information about what you might encounter,” Hoyer says, such as “big and little critters,” toxic flora and fauna, and recent changes to the terrain, like fallen trees or rockslides. The park department can tell you how to stay safe in the environment and how to protect it from human damage too.

2. Bring at least one friend.

Make it a group activity to eliminate the risk of being stranded alone in a dire situation, EMT Tod Schimelpfenig, fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and wilderness medicine curriculum director at the nonprofit National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), tells SELF. That way, “there’s at least one companion who can go get help,” he says.

You and your companions should discuss a few things before you set out, like how strenuous a hike you're all OK with, your general itinerary, and an emergency plan. Those last two deserve a bit more detail, so let's get to it.

3. Create an itinerary and share it with someone outside of the group.

Draw up a rough plan that all members of your party agree upon well before you leave the trailhead, Schimelpfenig says. Include your starting point and time, destination, route, and anticipated finish time.

When calculating timing, keep in mind that it can be really tough to predict how long a hike will take when on unfamiliar terrain, Hoyer says. That’s why she recommends planning to start early, being conservative with your time frame, and not being overly ambitious.

Share this plan with at least one person not hiking with you, Schimelpfenig says. You can also leave this info with the park office. If you don’t return on time, someone will be able to relay this key information to a search party if necessary.

4. Agree on an emergency plan.

“Part of your plan for any hike should be what you’re going to do in an emergency situation,” Hoyer says. Before heading out, know how you will call or send for help in the unlikely event something bad happens. (Again, the park service is a prime resource here).

These are the key questions your plan needs to answer, according to Hoyer:

Will there be reliable cell service? Is someone bringing a fully charged phone and a portable charger?

If not: Is someone bringing a personal locator beacon, satellite messaging device that can get emergency messages out by pinging satellites with your GPS data, or satellite phone?

If there’s an emergency, does the park have its own emergency number, or should you call 9-1-1?

If you can’t transmit a message, which one of you will volunteer to go get help?

5. Prepare for the weather.

This goes beyond just checking the weather before your hike. Talk to the rangers or consult the park site to find out what inclement weather events are most likely at this time of year and how to stay safe in them. “Even with the best weather forecast, big storms can come up quickly and unexpectedly,” Hoyer says.