Hiking and camping have exploded a bit on social media this year — pages like We Are Explorers and the Adventure Handbook, and instagrammers like Hike and Seek have developed huge followings.

The great outdoors is not just for grey nomads or dads with a penchant for hiking paraphernalia anymore. It seems like the sheer number of people flocking to the NSW national parks has increased dramatically over the past year.

But what can we do to protect our parks, and how can we promote sustainable exploration while still making the most of our beautiful backyard? Nic spoke to Chris Banffy, park ranger in the Upper Mountains Area this morning about how to explore these areas of great natural beauty sustainably.