Hiking can be a dangerous activity if you’re hiking in uncharted territory or somewhere you’ve never been before. That’s why it is important to always practice hiking safety regardless of where you are.
Hiking safety tips
Explore the area beforehand –
This is probably one of the most important hiking safety tips on this page. Before you decide to go hiking anywhere, you should always do a little research. Make sure the area is safe, understand what types of wildlife you could encounter, and review poisonous plant reports or blogs that others have written about their experience with that area.
While it may seem silly to read plant reports, it’s important you understand if you should wear long pants or shorts on your hike, so you don’t come home with poison ivy, sumac, or oak rashes.
During your research, you should also understand how long trails are, so you have an adequate supply of water or snacks in your hiking bag. Remember, preparation is the key to hiking safety!
Hiking should always be done during the day –
For obvious reasons, you should always hike during the day. That’s why it’s important to do your research of the area beforehand because you will need to prepare for how long you’ll be on the trail, so you start and end while it’s still daytime.
Hiking after dusk or even in the dark could result in many dangers such as encountering wildlife you are not prepared for, getting lost, and running out of water or food supply.
Bring maps of the area on the hike –
Bringing a map of your trail with you while you’re on your hike can help in the event that you become lost or get off track. Today, many of us depend on GPS but when you’re on a hike, the service may not be reliable and should not be your only source of location.
