Healthy Camping

"Enjoying the outdoors is more fun and safer when you're prepared for situations."

Health Camping

  • Enjoying the outdoors is more fun and safer when you're prepared for situations you might run into on your hike or camping trip.

  • Fall is an ideal season for camping and hiking. Over 15 million outdoor enthusiasts participate in activities such as hiking and mountain biking.

  • If you're heading outdoors this fall, take a cue from the Scouts and be prepared.

  • We've listed a series of outdoor health and safety risks and what to do about them.

  • With proper preparation and safety precautions, every camping trip activity can be a fun, safe, and healthy one.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

  1. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas found in the fumes from burning fuel that contains carbon, such as wood, charcoal, the propane used in a camp stove or lantern, or the gasoline used in a generator.
  2. Generally speaking, CO in a completely open area is not harmful.
  3. However, CO in an enclosed or partially enclosed area can be very harmful and even deadly.
  4. For example, if you burn wood or charcoal or use a camp stove, fuel-burning lantern, or generator in a tent or shelter, you could be poisoned by CO.
  5. One reason CO is so dangerous is that it's invisible and odorless. Because you can't see it or smell it, you could get sick or die from CO before you even know it's there. Every year, thousands of people are poisoned by CO exposure.

Animal Encounters

  1. Be safe by keeping your distance from wildlife you encounter while on a camping trip or hike.
  2. Do not handle, feed, or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
  3. Do not bring wild animals into your tent or trailer and do not try to nurse sick animals to health.
  4. Some diseases that infect animals can cause illness in people. These diseases, called zoonoses, can be dangerous and include rabies, histoplasmosis, hantavirus, and tularemia.
  5. Recognize the danger of diseases from wildlife and enjoy wildlife from a distance.
To protect yourself from CO
  1. Place camp stoves, generators, portable heaters, fuel-burning lanterns, and similar items outside only and away from tents and shelters.
  2. To keep warm in cold weather, pack warm clothes and extra blankets.
  3. Be alert to the most common symptoms of CO poisoning: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.
  4. Remember that breathing in high levels of CO can make you unconscious or kill you. People who are sleeping or drunk can die from CO poisoning without ever having symptoms.
  6. If you think you may be sick from CO poisoning, get fresh air and medical attention quickly.