Fear of wildlife/western US National Parks
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Anonymous
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My husband wants to visit a NP or two out west with our kids - and I’m interested but absolutely terrified of some of the wildlife out there.
#1 by far - rattlesnakes Followed by bears and mountain lions. If we stick to high traffic, easy trails, how safe is it? I don’t want to do anything remotely risky. Yes I have anxiety. I also have two teens. Looking at GCNP (and Sedona) first. DH and I went 25 years ago with no issues, but I was unaware of the dangers then (and didn’t have anxiety yet.) I’m aware that statistically the bigger risk is falling, but feel like I have more control over that and staying out of dangerous spots. Thanks in advance for any advice or reassurance. |
Anonymous
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The parks can get quite crowded, and you will not run into wildlife on busy trails. None of those animals want to be around people if they can help it. (We have them all here too, btw, and you have not run into them here.)
Buy yourself a bear bell and watch where you step on trails, and you'll be fine. |
Anonymous
| Have you considered going in the off season? Rattlesnakes are basically dormant from November-February. |
Anonymous
This is what we did. I'm terrified of snakes and we went in late Feb. All clear! |
Anonymous
OP here. Sadly no. Looking at last week of March (school break.) |
Anonymous
| Grand Canyon and Sedona, you should be fine. Zion, Bryce, and Arches, fine. I would be less anxious about snakes than bears. March is when bears come out of hibernation and anre hungry. And it is not true that bears do not go where there are people are on the crowded trails. Because people are stupid and drop food and litter, bears become habituated, and know where the people food is. Unfortunately, once a bear is habituated, they lose the skills to Find food on their own and stay around people. And then become more aggressive trying to find people food. It can actually be safer to go on remote trails where these wild animals do not associate people with food. |
Anonymous
| I live out West and have been to many of the parks you're talking about plus many other backcountry hikes in more remote places. GCNP isn't really a bear habitat, so it would be very surprising to see any bears there. In late March, the temperatures are still pretty chilly for reptiles (high 30's/low 40's in the morning with highs in the mid/high 60's) which isn't ideal for cold-blooded reptiles like snakes (which I am also terrified of!) I've spent a lot of time in places/weather out here that these animals actually do like, and I have never seen one, so you are extremely unlikely to run into any there. When I think about it, the only place I have run into a rattlesnake was in the Shenandoahs out in VA (in July.) Your brain will also probably be very occupied soaking in the beauty all around you as well -- it's the perfect distraction from the anxiety! |
Anonymous
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We camped in GCNP a couple of weeks ago. Asked the ranger about bears and told to watch out for ravens instead. Yeah, it's easier than the East Coast from a camping perspective: there're no bears in GCNP but the ravens could be a nuisance and you have to put all food and trash in your car lest they rummage through everything at your campsite.
On the same trip we also hiked through Sedona. Unlike the Shenandoah, the trails have much less vegetation cover and not much can hide there. Some of our favorite hikes were basically rock scrambles (Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock) there were nothing on these rocks. |
Anonymous
Bear bells are ineffective; bears will not hear you until you are too close. Better off just talking/making nose, being aware and carrying bear spray. |
Anonymous
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Is this because of the Fox news article about National Parks being dangerous. I think the rate of death/injury in national parks is pretty low and they aren't any more dangerous than State parks or just going into the wilderness in general. Just be careful, stay on trails and don't go near the edge of a cliff.
I grew up in AZ and went on many a hikes. Occasionally we would step near or over a rattlesnake and have never been bit. They have a rattle for a reason. They like to warn folks and are not unnecessarily aggressive. It is actually extremely rare of bears to attack groups of people. |
Anonymous
| I’m in California, I do see rattlesnakes once in awhile and coyote. Just keep your eyes peeled. I get it. I’m terrified of ticks and have avoided wooded northern areas because of it. No Maine, no cape cod… |
Anonymous
| Glacier NP and Yellowstone are way scarier than GCNP. Grizzly bears terrify me. I was so scared hiking in those parks. A mean badger made us run in the opposite direction on a trail. I will never go hiking in those parks again. Still nice to visit to see bison and other animals from the car. Or to see glaciers on a short walk. But on foot I find it too scary. |
Anonymous
| Don't worry! You're more likely to slip and fall and die that way. |
Anonymous
| I live in the NW and we get black bears, bobcats, and mountain lions in my backyard. I have seen all of those, including a mountain lion that was too close for my comfort. Mountain lion attacks are really rare, but there was a death a few years ago. Never encountered a grizzly - thankfully their territory is a bit further away. My advice is to hike with a group, make lots of noise, don't put bacon in your pocket. Also, I won't go tent camping in grizzly country. |
Anonymous
No, it's from The Hill article a few days ago. And the Forbes article last year. And all those other articles that say the same thing that get recycled, year after year. Don't be such a tool. https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/3961073-these-are-americas-deadliest-national-parks-data/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonschultz/2022/01/12/these-are-americas-most-dangerous-national-parks/?sh=4dea2415bc12 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/02/13/national-parks-most-dangerous-data-grand-canyon/9219224002/?gnt-cfr=1 https://www.treehugger.com/most-dangerous-spots-us-national-parks-4869136 |