ACT Parks and Conservation manager Brett McNamara's most important tip for bushwalking safely this summer concerns your mobile phone.
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"You can't eat it. It won't keep you warm and it basically won't work," Mr McNamara said.
"Do not rely on a mobile phone when you head into the back country."
Mr McNamara said people should be prepared: be mindful of the weather, tell a friend or family member your plans, pack plenty of water, a first aid kit ("even if it's just basic") and be sun smart.
"My message is not 'don't come out'. Come out and enjoy the park and enjoy the environment," he said.
In terms of what ACT's parks had to offer, Mr McNamara had some tips for hikers.
"In terms of Tidbinbilla, if you're a first timer, Gibraltar Peak would be a recommendation without a doubt," he said.
"If you're looking for some more challenging walks in Namadgi National Park: Stockyard Spur, that would be my number one walk."
On that trek, the peak of Mount Gingera offered "majestic views of the mountain".
"It's a full day walk that one. Be prepared, watch the weather."
When going off track in the Namadgi, or anywhere in the Australian alps, Mr McNamara recommended hiring a Personal Locator Beacon or PLB, but stressed they were for emergencies only.
He shared the anecdote of a mother and daughter who had hired a PLB off a ranger years ago. Having run out of water on the track, the mother used the PLB, figuring only the ranger would show up with some water.
"What they didn't appreciate was [then-Southcare rescue helicopter], a doctor and a paramedic above their head," Mr McNamara said.
When letting people know about your plans Mr McNamara said "tell someone who cares": tell them where you were going, what route you were taking and when you planned to be back.
Even information about your level of physical fitness, such as your walking pace, helped emergency services search for you if anything goes wrong, Mr McNamara said.
"Importantly, if you were to get into trouble, just stay still," he said.
He added if you got into trouble in the remote country, get into an open area so you were easier to spot from the air.
It was better to travel in groups, he said, and to set the pace to the slowest person in the group to avoid anyone getting left behind or lost.
But bottom line, the parks boss just wants people to have fun.
"It is a community resource. It's ours to celebrate. It's ours to enjoy," he said.
