Have Fun and Stay Safe

Many visitors come to Point Reyes to enjoy the beauty of its rugged shoreline and to experience its wildness. Recreating in natural areas, however, has inherent dangers and responsibilities. The information on these pages can help you have a safe and responsible visit so that you, and future visitors, can enjoy the park to its fullest!

S.T.O.P: The 4 Most Common Trail Hazards

 

USDA

Stinging Nettle

Stinging nettle is a tall weedy plant that causes discomfort when touched. Tiny hairs on the stem and leaves break off readily and leave small amounts of a very irritating chemical in your skin. People differ greatly in their sensitivity to stinging nettle.

Horses can react strongly if they are stung by stinging nettle's small needle-like hairs. In extreme cases, horses have died after extensive exposure to this plant.

Some trails may be overgrown with nettle at certain times of the year, such as spring and summer. Horses, riders and hikers should avoid this plant. The best way to do this is to stay in the center of the trail!

 

NPS/J. Weinberg McClosky

Ticks

Certain ticks found in the Point Reyes area carry diseases such as Lyme disease, which can infect humans and animals. Locally, about 1% of adult ticks and 3% of nymphs are found to be infected with the Lyme disease agent.

Staying on trails, use of proper outdoor clothing, tick repellants, and thorough and frequent body checks during and following outdoor activity are important measures to prevent tick bites.The quicker ticks are removed, the less the chance of transmittal of the organism that causes illness. Wearing light-colored, long pants helps you spot ticks and tucking your pant legs inside your socks can help keep them from crawling up your legs.

For more information on ticks and what to do if you have a tick bite, check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Ticks and Avoiding Ticks pages.

 

Obstacles and Other Hazards

Point Reyes National Seashore is a dynamic environment! Overtime, or sometimes suddenly, naturally occuring events such as heavy rainfall, wildfire or rockfall can cause unexpected hazards. Here are some of the most common hazards visitors to Point Reyes can encounter on trail, and what to do next!

 

Choose Your Own (Safe) Adventure!

Many of the cliffs and bluffs found within Point Reyes National Seashore are composed of unstable material. Rockfalls and landslides occur regularly, so you should stay several meters away from the base of the cliffs, as well as from the edge of clifftops.

If a tree is blocking the trail, try to safely pass the obstacle by going over, under or through! Going around or off trail can be tricky, will increase your exposure to poison oak and stinging nettle--it can also create lasting damage to park resources. Help the park and other trail users by reporting downed trees and other hazards! 

Heavy rains, most common in the winter and spring, can lead to seasonal trail flooding and washouts. Avoid low-lying trails after significant rains, or plan on getting your feet wet! Walking off trail around these flooded or muddy areas results in increased erosion. Use extra caution when passing through any kind of moving water, and remember...when in doubt, turn around!  

 

NPS Photo

Poison Oak

Need another reason to stay on trail? It'll help you avoid poison oak! Upon contact with this plant, many people develop a spreading, very itchy and sometimes painful rash. A natural oil on the stems and leaves of poison oak adheres to skin, as well as clothing, and can spread by touch. If you think you have been exposed, do not touch your eyes. As soon as you are able, take a lukewarm shower and wash the affected area thoroughly with grease-cutting dish soap or special poison oak soap. Be sure to also wash all clothing before wearing again.

Poison oak leaves grow in groups of three. Leaf shape can vary from straight on the edge to wavy or lobed several times along the edges. Depending on the time of year, the leaves can be almost any color… yellowish, deep or bright green, even red. The oil in the plant causes the new and emerging leaves to be very shiny. If it grows near other trees and shrubs for support, poison oak plants can grow many feet tall. In other environments, it will stay low to the ground.