Ticks are part of spending time outdoors, but they do not have to keep us out of the woods. A few habits before, during, and after a hike or camp can sharply reduce the chance that a tick stays attached long enough to cause trouble.
That matters in 2026. On April 23, CDC reported unusually high emergency-room visits for tick bites in much of the country and urged people to use repellent, treated clothing, tick checks, and prompt removal instead of giving up outdoor time.
Know Where Ticks Wait
Ticks are common in grassy, brushy, wooded places and leaf litter. They do not need a deep wilderness. Trail edges, campsites, yards, pond banks, hunting cover, and places where woods meet fields can all put us in contact with them.
Stay near the center of established trails when practical and avoid brushing through tall vegetation when there is an easy route around it.
Use Repellent and Treated Clothing
The CDC tick-prevention guidance recommends EPA-registered skin repellents and clothing or gear treated with 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin is for clothing and gear according to its label, not something we apply directly to skin.
- Treat boots, socks, pants, and appropriate camping gear with 0.5% permethrin or buy factory-treated clothing.
- Use an EPA-registered repellent on exposed skin according to its label.
- Wear long pants and sleeves when conditions allow.
- Light-colored clothing can make crawling ticks easier to spot.
Hot-weather clothing is always a balance between bite protection and heat stress. Our men’s hiking clothing guide explains how breathable layers, sun protection, and trail conditions should shape that choice.
Make Tick Checks Part of Camp
Ticks can ride into camp on pants, packs, blankets, and pets. Check clothing and exposed skin before getting into a tent or sleeping bag, especially after walking through brush or tall grass.
If a dog comes along, check around the ears, collar, legs, toes, and other places ticks can hide before letting the dog into your sleeping area. A veterinarian can recommend an appropriate tick preventive for the animal.
Our camping-with-a-dog guide covers the larger routine of keeping pets safe, controlled, hydrated, and comfortable around camp.
Do a Full Check After the Hike
CDC recommends checking the body, clothing, gear, and pets after outdoor activity. Pay close attention under the arms, around and behind the ears, in the hair, around the waist, behind the knees, inside the belly button, and between the legs.
Showering within about two hours of coming indoors can wash away unattached ticks and gives us another chance to inspect the body.
Use Heat on Clothing
For dry clothing, CDC recommends tumbling it in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes after coming indoors. Damp clothing may need more time. If clothing must be washed first, CDC recommends hot water because cold and medium-temperature water will not reliably kill ticks.
Summer heat adds another concern on long trail days. This related guide to planning outdoor travel around extreme heat is useful when deciding how much protective clothing is practical for a hot trip.
How to Remove an Attached Tick
Remove an attached tick as soon as possible. Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick close to the skin, and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Clean the bite area and your hands afterward.
Skip folk remedies such as burning the tick, covering it with nail polish, or twisting it out. Prompt mechanical removal is the safer approach.
Watch for Symptoms After a Bite
If a rash, fever, unusual fatigue, aches, or other concerning symptoms develop in the days or weeks after a tick bite or tick exposure, contact a healthcare professional and mention the outdoor exposure.
CDC notes that removing an attached tick quickly is important. Do not wait for an emergency-room visit simply to remove a tick that you can safely remove with tweezers.
Alpha-Gal Syndrome Matters to Outdoorsmen
Alpha-gal syndrome is a potentially serious allergy that can develop after some tick bites. Reactions can occur after eating mammal meat such as beef, pork, lamb, or venison, and some people react to other mammal-derived products.
That makes awareness especially important for hunters and other people who spend a lot of time in brush and wooded cover. Preventing tick bites is the best available way to reduce the risk of developing alpha-gal syndrome.
Keep an Outdoor First-Aid Routine
Fine-tipped tweezers belong in a trail or camp first-aid kit. So do basic wound-cleaning supplies and any medications a member of the group may need.
Our outdoor emergency-kit guide helps build the rest of that small safety system without turning a daypack into a medical cabinet.
Teach Kids a Calm Routine
We do not need to scare children out of grass and woods. Teach three habits instead: use protection before going out, avoid unnecessary brush when walking, and check for ticks when the day is over.
When that routine becomes as normal as carrying water or tying shoes, tick prevention stops feeling dramatic.
Come Home With Stories, Not Ticks
The woods are still worth it. Use repellent correctly, treat appropriate clothing and gear, stay aware in brush, check people and pets, remove attached ticks promptly, and watch for symptoms afterward.
Those few minutes of field sense let us spend more time thinking about the trail, creek, ridge, hunt, or campsite instead of the tiny hitchhiker we brought home.