Hiking

Don’t Disturb Wildlife and Vegetation

• Stay on marked trails: trails are built and maintained to protect the land and promote preservation. Walking off trails can damage fragile desert landscape, cause erosion, and disturb wildlife habitat.
• Pack it in – pack it out: bring water and snacks but take your trash out.
• Keep your distance: please don’t disturb, remove, or hunt any animal, including mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, and insect. Leave their habitat, including all vegetation, as you find it; don’t pick flowers, remove plants, or chop trees.
• Keep your dog leashed: to protect both wildlife and your dog, city law requires pets to be on a leash no longer than eight feet.
• Be quiet: to avoid disturbing wildlife (and your fellow hikers) please keep noise levels to a minimum.
• Be aware of fire restrictions: please, no smoking, campfires, or motorized vehicles on Open Space trails.
• Respect limits to recreational activities: most team sports are not allowed on Open Space lands, as they can harm fragile ecosystems.
• No firearms and hunting in Open Space areas.

Stay Safe When Encountering Wildlife

Most hikers never encounter bear or mountain lions, but it’s good to be prepared. Snakes are more common, though only rattlesnakes are venomous.

• Wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots and long pants.
• Watch where you place your hands and feet when stepping over large rocks or logs.
• Complete your hike before sunset.
• If you see wildlife, keep your distance, and remain calm. Alter your route to avoid the animal and don’t block their path of travel.
• If you encounter a large mammal such as a bear, mountain lion, bobcat, or coyote, make noise, raise your arms, and make yourself look bigger. Don’t run. Face the animal but give them a way to escape. They will typically run away. If it’s a bear, back away slowly.
• Always keep small children in view and pick them up if you encounter large mammals or snakes.
• Always keep dogs on a leash for their safety and yours.

Leash Your Dog

It’s the law in Open Space areas: use a leash (and a harness, to increase your dog’s comfort) no more than eight feet long. Here’s why leashing will help protect both your dog and wildlife:

• Prevents most confrontations with wildlife–and other dogs!–that could harm your dog, such as a rattlesnake bite.
• Protects small mammals from your dog; animals that get chased waste precious energy they could otherwise use in their search for food.
• Prevents your dog from damaging vegetation and soil, eating something that may be harmful, or getting injured from cacti.
• Prevents your dog’s exposure to viruses, such as rabies and plague.
• Allows you to clean up after your dog, which is important to prevent the spread of disease and pollution of ground water (bring your own bag – or pick up a mutt mitt at the trailhead – and make sure you take it back out).

If you want to let your dog run off-leash, please visit an off-leash dog park near your neighborhood.