AN EMERALD woman with a suspected broken leg had to be winched to safety in challenging conditions after a hiking accident in Blackdown Tableland National Park on Saturday.

The 21-year-old had been hiking with a friend before slipping and falling.

On dusk, the RACQ Capricorn Rescue Helicopter Service set off on the two-hour rescue mission to Rainbow Falls. A rescue crewman and intensive care paramedic were winched to the ground to treat the patient.

RACQ Capricorn Rescue air crewman Dave Paterson said the winch recovery of the hiker was done under challenging conditions.

"The aircraft maintained its hover position at a far greater height than usual due to the terrain below," Mr Paterson said. "(That) can create a spin and cause the attached to lose consciousness.

"A tag line was attached today to prevent this complication."

The woman was put into a vacuum sling and an air rescue vest before being winched aboard the helicopter. She was in a stable condition.