A narrow river can be seen flowing at the bottom of a canyon. Rolling, tree covered hillsides and sheer rock bluffs can be seen flanking both sides of the river corridor/NPS

An Arkansas man who illegally guided hikes in Buffalo National River in Arkansas, one of which lead to a participant's death and another that required a hiker to be carried out of the backcountry, has been sentenced to two years on probation, banned from the park for two years, and ordered to pay more than $3,000 in fines and penalties.

According to a release from the park, Jeffrey Johnson, of Bentonville, last week was handed those sentences — $600 in fines, $80 in processing fees, and ordered to pay $2,686.27 in restitution — in connection with hikes he led last year into the park's backcountry. The amount of restitution equals the cost of both search-and-rescue operations performed for members of his hiking groups by the National Park Service in the spring of 2022.  

On two separate occasions last spring Johnson led a group of hikers on a very rugged and remote unofficial trail an area known as the Eye of the Needle in the Indian Creek area within Buffalo National River. According to the park release, "one of these hikes ended in a carryout of an injured hiker, and another hike on May 7, 2022, ended in the death of a hiker within Johnson’s group."

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas, the business operation "came to light after one of the hikers with the group fell from approximately 15 feet from the path into a pool of water, prompting a search and rescue operation involving the NPS and multiple other area agencies and forty-seven individuals. The hiker was pronounced dead on scene." 

The Park Service determined that Johnson was running a guided hiking service through Meetup.com to gather people with similar outdoor interests. He was found to be soliciting donations and charging an annual membership fee for users of the Meetup.com group, which would allow the member to join as many hikes led by Johnson for the year as the member wished, the park release said.

Johnson advertised that hikers could pay the fee by check, by Paypal, or in person on the morning of their first hike.  An investigation showed that Johnson had never applied for nor received a permit to operate a business within the park.  

On December 6, 2022, Johnson was convicted on one count of engaging in or soliciting business inside a national park without a permit and one count of soliciting money inside a national park without a permit.  

The permitting system is paramount for ensuring a quality visitor experience from permitted business partners. A Commercial Use Authorization permit allows for approved commercial activities to occur in the park while ensuring visitor safety and the preservation and protection of park resources. Providing services or operating a business for compensation of any kind inside the park boundary is prohibited without a permit.