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Animal, Insect, and Plant Hazards

THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL through Northern California is home to many species of wildlife. Insects such as mosquitoes, ticks, and flies are seasonably common on the trail. The most commonly seen mammals include deer, marmots, and squirrels, but it is not inconceivable to see a California black bear, especially in the Tuolumne Meadows area. You probably won’t see mountain lions, but they are out there. Rattlesnakes are a hazard on sections of the PCT, generally those areas under 6,000 feet. In the plant world, poison oak has a well-deserved nasty reputation and should be avoided at all costs. And possibly the most dangerous things on the trail are microscopic waterborne organisms.

MOSQUITOES, TICKS, AND FLIES

Mosquitoes, ticks, and flies are the most common pitfalls of the PCT hiking experience, mosquitoes being the most plentiful of the three. Fortunately, the populations of these pests thins considerably after most of the standing water in an area has dried up.