Guide 1 - Common Hiking Injuries: Prevention and First Aid Lucene test

Guide 1 - Common Hiking Injuries: Prevention and First Aid Lucene test

Article Summary

Every year, thousands of hikers face preventable injuries and life-threatening emergencies. Make sure you’re prepared with: appropriate footwear, a complete first aid kit, and a fully charged phone with reliable GPS for emergency air ambulance dispatch in case of the worst.

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Every year, thousands of hikers face preventable injuries and life-threatening emergencies. Make sure you’re prepared with: appropriate footwear, a complete first aid kit, and a fully charged phone with reliable GPS for emergency air ambulance dispatch in case of the worst.

From sandy beachside dunes, higher elevation climbs or peaceful forests, you’ll find hikers on the trail year-round. For experienced hikers, injuries are expected. The more time spent on treks teaches that the simplest misstep can result in a sprain or a trip-and-fall when off the beaten path.


Experienced hikers know that the first line of defense is good footwear. Regular tennis shoes or, heaven forbid, flip-flops does not a safe hike make. There is a reason for different types of footwear, and hiking shoes are a must for stability, cushioning and the grip needed to traverse the trails. To avoid the most common hiking injury, blisters, be sure to break in the shoes before getting on the trail and use socks that are appropriate to the task at hand.

Preparation & Safety


Bites, stings and envenomation can happen on the trail. If you are going through areas with large snake populations, you may want to invest in leg guards as a preventative measure. For bee stings, scorpion stings and other bug bites topical antiseptics are generally all you’ll need. Prevention is worth a pound of cure, so bring bug spray and avoid areas where biting insects occur.

From sandy beachside dunes, higher elevation climbs or peaceful forests, you’ll find hikers on the trail year-round. For experienced hikers, injuries are expected. The more time spent on treks teaches that the simplest misstep can result in a sprain or a trip-and-fall when off the beaten path.

Experienced hikers know that the first line of defense is good footwear. Regular tennis shoes or, heaven forbid, flip-flops does not a safe hike make.  There is a reason for different types of footwear, and hiking shoes are a must for stability, cushioning and the grip needed to traverse the trails. To avoid the most common hiking injury, blisters, be sure to break in the shoes before getting on the trail and use socks that are appropriate to the task at hand.



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Sprains, strains and even fractures can happen on the trail- especially on the more difficult ones. A first-aid kit is a must for these types of injuries. The Red Cross has a comprehensive first aid kit checklist that will help you build out a kit that can help treat injuries you may experience on your hike.

Preparation & Safety

Bites, stings and envenomation can happen on the trail. If you are going through areas with large snake populations, you may want to invest in leg guards as a preventative measure. For bee stings, scorpion stings and other bug bites topical antiseptics are generally all you’ll need. Prevention is worth a pound of cure, so bring bug spray and avoid areas where biting insects occur.

For more serious injuries, the kind that make extricating yourself nearly impossible, your best preparation is a fully charged phone and GPS device ↗. They are the most valuable items in an emergency kit. Breaking a bone, snake bite, or serious falls can be the types of issues that happen on a hiking trail requiring  medical assistance to come to you. Be sure your device is fully charged  and that someone at home knows where you are going and when you’ll be back.

Emergency Care for Hikers


If you routinely hike far from higher levels of care, you’ll also want to add the financial protection of AirMedCare Network’s membership. When you are seriously injured and need air ambulance transport from a remote location to a hospital, our experienced air ambulance crews can respond. 

When you’re exploring remote trails, help ensure emergency care is never out of reach. An AirMedCare Network Air Ambulance membership can protect you and your family from unexpected air transport costs if a serious hiking accident occurs — so you can focus on the adventure, not the what-ifs.

Frequently Asked Questions