Is there a lot of poison oak in western Washington?

Submitted by therealalanwatts t3_1104qgu in Washington

I just moved here and unfortunately I’ve gotten poison ivy and poison oak quite a few times in my life and with each exposure it only gets worse. While the Internet says it is out here, reddit always knows better.

Curious if you’ve encountered poison oak or know where it is common around these parts.

For reference, I’m up in Bellingham.

Edit: thanks to everyone who replied! I feel like I can sleep a little better at night now lol

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Lch207560 t1_j86z6ve wrote

I've lived in Western Washington for 60 years much of it outdoors throughout the Cascades and Olympics and I've never run into.

I'm not saying it's not here, that's just my own experience for what it's worth

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rosesandpiglets t1_j87lzd1 wrote

Yeah there’s some stinging nettle but poison oak and poison ivy are definitely less common. I have worked outside landscaping a fair bit and only once or twice saw poison oak

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Hey_Grrrl t1_j875tyq wrote

You’re fairly safe from it. You’ll definitely get into some stinging nettles, but that’s nothing compared to poison oak/ivy - plus it’s edible :D

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CGNUDumples t1_j8700kp wrote

I’ve seen it but only rarely. There’s a patch in Seaward Park in Seattle.

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codetaupe t1_j870gzh wrote

In Olympia at least there are signs in some parks saying to stay on the trail because of poison oak

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RainyZilly t1_j872q08 wrote

Squaxin Park, formally Priest Point Park comes to mind.

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catedoge1 t1_j873aj1 wrote

in my experience its most common along river valleys in the columbia gorge. hood river, white salmon, klickitat all have poison ok.

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east of the mountains its mostly posion ivy and it is easy to ID.

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if your on the OP or the higher elevations or further north in the cascades its pretty rare.

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gillyyak t1_j87gebx wrote

I found some on McMicken Island in the South Sound. It likes dry western exposures with minimal tree cover.

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stitchybinchy t1_j87mbg6 wrote

I got into some poison oak around in the South Sound area near Steamboat Island / Olympia but haven’t come across it myself anywhere else since and that was 20+ years ago. It was along a trail going down to salt water.

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MarmotMossBay t1_j88namo wrote

I’ve seen it on Maury island.

https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/Env-Wet-PoisonousPlantsBooklet_WEBversion.pdf

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steelfork t1_j8djhq9 wrote

Also between Vashon Hwy and the beach west of Burton.

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veymellon t1_j8eqvz5 wrote

my first home in WA was near the center of vashon island and we had poison oak in the woods behind our house. made me think it was commonplace but apparently it isn't so much. i've seen some on the side of the road near the south end ferry dock as well.

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_fylfa t1_j87ckym wrote

I got it reaaal bad in Bellingham while hiking up from Teddy Bear Cove in 2013/2014. It was the worst ever. Be careful!

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coolgherm t1_j87klee wrote

I've found that if you're in an area that has oak trees, there's likely to be poison oak as well. Oaks aren't super common in Bellingham but they do grow up there. You're going to find more oaks as you go south in washington.

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decoy_man t1_j87otau wrote

Had it bad as a kid growing up in the SW Washington Vancouver area but just the once. I believe it was poison ivy. Big pus filled welts.

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Stabbymcappleton t1_j8c16j4 wrote

Yep. Poison Ivy/Oak will definitely fuck you up. It’s not like nettles. The toxin spreads all over your body.

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Cuidado_roboto t1_j88rzbt wrote

Nettles are everywhere on hiking trails. Look for spade shaped leaves with serrated edges.

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Stabbymcappleton t1_j8c1g5p wrote

Fern juice will kill nettle stings. Bracken fern is best, sword fern will do the trick as a 2nd place.

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ACartonOfHate t1_j87wjyo wrote

I've never come across it in all the time I've been here, and gone through various parks in Seattle, Olympia and the Olympic Peninsula. I'm sure there is some, but I've never come across it in any of my walks.

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doktorhladnjak t1_j878uct wrote

It's around for sure. Not as common as in places like coastal California though.

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BarnabyWoods t1_j87e6ms wrote

I've never seen it on the Olympic Peninsula, nor the North Cascades.

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GreywackeOmarolluk t1_j8avedz wrote

Discovered (the hard way) several patches of poison oak on some property I was clearing of invasive plants. Key Peninsula, near Lakebay/Home. Wetland/disturbed/heavy clay soil.

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Wellcraft19 t1_j87hfku wrote

While living in TX I accidentally weed-whacked myself through a patch of poison ivy. In shorts. It was bad 😂

Never seen either oak, ivy, or sumac up here over the past twenty+ years.

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Winter-eyed t1_j8917pd wrote

There is poison sumac in the southwester area.

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Stabbymcappleton t1_j8c05bz wrote

YES. Especially around the Puget Sound shoreline and islands.

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jgnp t1_j8iqaox wrote

It’s on the rise as an invasive species. Seems to hitchhike in potted cultivars from the requests I’ve seen people make trying to identify it in various weed control groups on the internet.

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Apfelwein t1_j8716ze wrote

There is poison hemlock in QA, Interbay, and Magnolia for sure.

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