Cover up

When going out into the woods, it's a good idea to make sure you dress properly. Even if it's hot, you want to make sure your legs and arms are covered. Ususally, if you pick a light fabric, this will be enough to ward off an unwanted encounter with poison ivy. One other benefit is that you will also generally ward off unwanted pests such as mosquitos and biting flies as well. The best poison ivy cure is to stay away from it in the first place!

Climbing poison ivy

Starting with spring, poison ivy begins to rear it's head early. You have to be very careful while walking through the woods. During the summer, you can ususally notice the poison ivy that is climbing the trees, but in the spring, these may look like any other vine. Make sure you know what poison ivy looks like when it's just starting to bloom. It you rub up against one of these vines before it blooms, you will get a poison ivy rash just as bad as if it were fully bloomed.