Ticks live in grassy, brushy and wooded areas, which is exactly where hikers and campers spend their weekends. You can't avoid the outdoors, but you can make tick bites a lot less likely. Here's a practical tick prevention checklist for hiking and camping, based on CDC guidance.
Before you hit the trail
- Treat clothing and gear with permethrin. The CDC recommends products with 0.5% permethrin on boots, clothing and camping gear. It stays effective through several washings, and you can also buy pre-treated gear.
- Use an EPA-registered insect repellent. Look for DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone. Don't use OLE or PMD on children under 3.
- Pack a tick kit. Put a tick removal kit in your daypack so you can deal with a tick on the trail instead of waiting until you're home.
On the trail
- Walk in the center of trails. Ticks wait on tall grass and brush along the edges.
- Avoid high grass and leaf litter when you can, especially when setting up camp or taking breaks.
- Do quick checks at rest stops, especially on legs, the waistline and the backs of knees.
At camp and when you get home
- Check your clothing for ticks as soon as you come inside or into the tent.
- Tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing. If they're damp or dirty, wash them in hot water first.
- Shower within two hours of coming indoors. The CDC says this can reduce your risk of Lyme disease and wash off unattached ticks.
- Inspect gear and pets. Ticks ride in on coats, daypacks and dogs, then attach later.
Where to check your body for ticks
Do a full-body check with a mirror or a partner. The CDC lists these spots:
- Under the arms
- In and around the ears
- Inside the belly button
- Behind the knees
- In and around the hair
- Between the legs
- Around the waist
Hiking with a dog? Use our guide on how to check your dog for ticks.
Found a tick? Remove it right away
Grasp the tick close to the skin with fine-tipped tweezers and pull straight up with steady pressure. Our step-by-step guide, How to Remove a Tick the Right Way, covers it in detail. Seal the tick in a vial and note the date and place, in case you feel sick later. Not sure what kind it was? See how to tell ticks apart.
Your trail-ready tick kit
The Tick-Away kit was made for the trail: fine-point tweezers, a notched tick remover, a folding magnifier, a specimen vial and a tick ID card, in a hard-shell zip case with a carabiner. Clip one to your pack and keep another in the camp bin. Bundles save up to 15%.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Source: CDC, Preventing Tick Bites.
