Most are quite steep and usually end up at an Alpine Lake. This book contains descriptions and maps of most of the trails, and is quite good. If you fall down an embankment, they may find your bones a couple of years later, especially if you are a visitor, and not missed. This is especially important in the winter months, when there are fewer other hikers around. It is also a good idea to carry a cell phone if you have one, although you have to be close to civilization or a major highway for it to work.
Some trails have registration booths at their start.
This allows the Ranger to know if someone has not returned. Fill out the card at the start and end of your hike, for your own safety. So far, the government bears the cost of rescuing lost hikers, but there are moves afoot to pass some of costs for helicopters, etc. There are usually about 50 hikers a year that require rescuing and a couple of fatalities are not unusual. A recent irritating development is the presence of mountain bikers on hiking trails.