A wilderness accident rarely occurs because of an avalanche or attack of a killer bear, local experts said.

People usually die or become injured outdoors because of a pileup of careless choices.

“Most people don’t walk to the top of the cliff to look over it and die because the whole cliff gives way,” said Don Stock, co-owner of The Adventure Guild in Chattanooga. “They do things like wear inappropriate footwear, rock hop at the top of the cliff, get their foot stuck, lose their balance and fall off.”

On July 19, Larry Beane, park ranger at Little River Canyon National Preserve and Russell Cave National Monument, will offer a program at DeSoto State Park outside Mentone, Ala. The program is ominously titled: “13 Ways Not To Die at Little River Canyon.”

Some of the ways people die in outdoor settings are falling, drowning, bee stings, snake bites, auto crashes, kayaking accidents, suicide or hiking without a buddy system, Mr. Beane said.

“I hope that this program will get people to see danger, think about it, and use common sense,” Mr. Beane said.

With an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 visitors each year, only a handful of incidents actually occur at Little River Canyon, he said.

This year, two people have drowned in the canyon. A hiker also developed medical problems and had to be assisted out of the canyon, Ranger Beane said.In recent years, a 30-year-old father and his 10-year-old daughter were fatally swept over the falls, a 25-year-old man died after plunging into the gorge in his pickup truck, and a 24-year-old hiker sustained severe injuries after falling 80 feet from a cliff, news reports show.

Not all these accidents could have been prevented. But many can, he added.

One area where visitors may need education is in handling snakes.

“We had about 17 snake fatalities in 2007— the punch line is that it was the snakes that died, illegally killed by visitors,” Mr. Beane said. “Most people worry about the snakes at Little River, but very few snakebites occur here. Only about 10 people a year are killed by snakes in the whole United States.”

People are more likely to drown, fall, get washed off cliffs, get food poisoning or be struck by lightning than to get bitten by a snake, he added.

When confronted with a snake, stand back, stomp on the ground and wait for the snake to flee, Mr. Beane said.

If you are bit by a venomous snake, don’t panic. Fully 90 percent of snake bite victims recover.

Prepare by taking a CPR or First Aid course, said Tammy Thomas, health and safety program manager for the Greater Chattanooga Area American Red Cross.

Also, if you don’t know your surroundings, ask an experienced guide, such as a ranger, for basic information before setting out, especially around water.

“Know your skill level. Find out how swift the water is, how deep the water is. Then ask yourself, is this right for me?” Ms. Thomas said.

The Adventure Guild teaches the principle of the “awareness meter.” Dehydration, exhaustion, heat, low blood sugar dull the senses, making it harder to respond effectively to external challenges, he said.

External hazards can often be avoided, if you’re aware of them.

Don’t pitch a tent under a dead tree, for example, the falling limbs may land on your head, experts say.

Avoid “unconscious incompetence” by asking yourself before each move “Do I know what I’m doing or am I guessing?”

When it comes to wilderness adventures, Mr. Stock said, “guessing and winging it is generally a bad idea.”

“When you have an accident,” he added, “it’s generally the result of an accumulation of a lot of small things.”

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