Poison ivy or oak in Red Rocks?

I'm curious if anyone has seen any in the canyons. There doesn't seem to be any mention of it on the internet, but I've been fooled in other places before. I'm deathly allergic and want to make sure I know what to look out for before 'shwhacking in on some of the trails.

I’m not deathly allergic but I definitely catch it.

I’ve been shwacking around here for over 3 years to a bunch of adventure routes and never had an issue.

Maybe...I’ve heard it mentioned once..? But I can’t even recall that.

Best of luck!

Alex Fletcher wrote:

I’m not deathly allergic but I definitely catch it.

I’ve been shwacking around here for over 3 years to a bunch of adventure routes and never had an issue.

Maybe...I’ve heard it mentioned once..? But I can’t even recall that.

Best of luck!

Same for me (about 2.5 years).  I'm very sensitive to it from multiple exposures back East.  Haven't seen any around here.

Poison ivy grows out east of the rockies, oak grows out west. Neither of them grow in arid/desert regions. 

Thanks everyone. Thought I would check in with the locals / regulars for some reassurance. I really appreciate it.

This is why I climb in the Sierras normally. Glad to see it extends to this desert :) See ya'll out there!

EMFR I wrote:

Poison ivy grows out east of the rockies, oak grows out west. Neither of them grow in arid/desert regions. 

Incorrect. Poison ivy is found in many areas of the west.

One example would be the black canyon. Another would be Piedra canyon. 

Parachute Adams wrote:

Incorrect. Poison ivy is found in many areas of the west.

One example would be the black canyon. Another would be Piedra canyon. 

yeah, i agree.  i have climbed at a lot of areas that i would consider "arid" that have poison ivy.  it seems to have narrow elevation bands at the areas that i have seen it.  these bands vary from area to area (ie front range versus east side of the cascades versus...), but it's like it just chooses about a 500' band and tends to stay within it.

back to RR though - it has a lot of small oaks with prickly leaves that get into all of your shit, but i haven't run into any poison ivy/oak there.

My sincerest of apologies. I shouldn't have googled it, and then after I committed that foul, I should have used terms like "in general." https://wa.kaiserpermanente.org/kbase/topic.jhtml?docId=hw74805

Also, no, there are no urushiol oil plants in RR. Bushwhack away. 

I've gotten ankles covered in stinging nettles in First Creek and in Willow Springs. 

Mike T wrote:

I've gotten ankles covered in stinging nettles in First Creek and in Willow Springs. 

Messed up thing about me is I kinda enjoy that particular feeling 0_o Thanks for the heads up though!

Mike T wrote:

I've gotten ankles covered in stinging nettles in First Creek and in Willow Springs. 

Good to know!

City of Rocks has an elevation of 5650 to 8867 feet. I caught a life endangering case in 2001, and ended up in the ER. Most miserable event of my climbing career.  I am pretty good at spotting poison ivy, but have no experience with poison oak, which is why I missed it. Still have the scars.

Poison Oak does grow in desert canyons at moderate elevations (I've seen it a lot at the 4000 - 5000 ft elevation range). You can find it in shady areas along the base of cliffs. 

At this point probably worth posting more links/info...

USA dispersion of poison plants (CDC website):

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants/geographic.html

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Identifying (I got really good after a couple exposures, but reviewing this once a year is worth the refresher!):

https://www.dermrochester.com/blog/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-poison-ivy-poison-oak-and-poison-sumac/

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Poison Oak (Western/Pacific):

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Poison Ivy (Western/Pacific):

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Dave K wrote:

Poison oak grows in areas with very specific conditions. It grows in arid regions but usually in relatively damper and shadier parts of those areas. 

Uh, in Oregon it usually grows in the blazing sun, and everywhere else below 2500ft. Not sure where you picked up the idea it grows in the shade.

Edit: Also good luck identifying the stuff unless you grew up around it. It seems to mimic whatever foliage it grows next to whether that be strawberries or oak (leaves can be smooth or jagged), plus when it loses its leaves it's still potent. Only real way to know is identifying the waxy twigs, or the fruit if you're lucky. You can go nuts seeing false positives everywhere.