Video:Hiking Tips in National Parks

Transcript:Hiking Tips in National Parks

Hello, I’m Suzanne Moody, a ranger with the National Park Service at Chiricahua National Monument.

Basic Hiking Tips for National Parks

You definitely want to take care of yourself. Whether that means sturdy hiking boots. Pleanty of water. Make sure you drink your water. It doesn’t do any good in your water bottle at the end of a hike. Hats, sunscreen are sometimes things that people forget. Something as simple as make sure you have a map with you. Know your route. Maybe stop by and ask the park ranger staff if there’s any trail closures. Any other flooding or other circumstances that might impact the trails that you planned on hiking. Like a creek flowing for example here in the summer monsoon time, which you might not normally expect. Make sure to stay on the trails. Short cutting the switch backs hurts the environment and doesn’t really save you any time and could lead to injuries on your part as well.

Tips for Avoiding Danger While Hiking in National Parks

Sometimes during trail construction they leave rocks across the trails for water control. Sometimes they’re nicknamed as ankle breakers. So, be sure you’re careful walking over those. And in desert and mountain areas, like the Chiricahuas, take an extra moment to glance on the other side of the rocks to make sure a rattle snake is not hiding in the shad as well.

Familiarize Yourself With the Wildlife

You might familiarize yourself with the wildlife you could encounter on the trails. Which might mean things as simple as birds and lizards to Rattlesnakes and knowing what you want to do to protect yourself from those animals. When you’re hiking in bear country, you definitely should follow the rules and policies in a specific location. For example, you might need to hike wearing bear bells, to announce your presence to the bears and making noise. Or, you may need to carry pepper spray in the event that you encounter a Grizzly bear. And the policy here, is that be aware of potential encounters. If you do encounter a black bear here, the best thing you can do is stand tall and make lots of noise.

If you were to come across a rattlesnake when hiking the best thing you can do is stop. Make sure everyone in your group knows where the snake is at and then make a detour around it.

Thanks for watching.