Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Do I really need a Bear Canister in these places

I am trying to reduce pack weight on a trip from Onion Valley to the Whitney Summit.

Do I really need a bear canister if I plan to camp in these locations? Some of them have Bear-Proof storage and some are at high elevation.

I would appreciate any comments

1) Kearsarge Lakes (available bear-proof storage)
2) Wallace Creek
3) 11,300 ft Tarns (Do bears come to this high elevation?)
4) 11,900 ft tarns (Do bears come to this high elevation?)
5) Whitney Trail Camp

Thanks!
David

It was my understanding(could be wrong), that they are not neccasary above 10K, or if camping where there r bear lockers! I was overnight in the palisades area a few weeks ago, no bear cans were required.

I've had bear encounters above 10k and so have many others .When I get home tonight, I'll post a picture of a deer kill at 11,000 ft.

I don't want to sound like the "rules stickler" but for sure at Whitney Trail Camp they are required. Not sure which ~11k lakes you are talking about, but each agency has a map of where they are required. You can find them at the bottom of the page at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/bear.shtml

Hope you realize that bear cans aren't for you, they're for the bears? I wouldn't want to risk being the one that gave a bear easy access to people food. Don't mean to sound like a jerk, just wanted to put that out there.

Bears definitely visit over 10k'. I have seen tracks and scat around and above Ediza Lake (9,500') and around Thousand Island Lake (10,000').

Besides the bears, the bear can will keep other critters out of your food and pack. Marmots are endemic, clever and destructive if they think they can get food out of your gear. Ditto for the other "mini-bears" like golden-mantled ground squirrels, although they only chew "little" holes...

Plus, as noted, you can be cited if the rangers find you camping at Trail Camp without one. Protect your food, protect the critters. Yeah, a bear can is a pain in the anatomy to have to carry but using one is both the right and legal thing to do.

btw... i wanted to relay my two experiences using odor-proof bags. first time was in an altitude that there were still some trees. we hung bags from a tree and had no varmit damage. Marmots do not climb trees and we felt pretty confident that there were no bears. on the second use, there were no trees to hang a bag from so the bag was left lying on a rock. came back to find a Marmot had enjoyed a freeze-dried Lasagna dinner and i did not. they must not be so "odor-proof" after all.

Here's info on the regulations:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/bear.shtml

There instruction are links to maps showing where the cans are required. Kearsarge Lakes has bear boxes, but the canister is still required.

I saw a bear once just bearly (sorry) below Kearsarge Pass on the west side.

40 years ago there were no bears east of the crest. Now they are there. Unless they took a plane, they must have crossed over the passes.

Thanks for the info, I will bring my canister after all.

I think your reasons are plentiful and I plan to respect the rules and the bears.

David

Kearsarge Lakes are in SEKI not Inyo NF. My reading is that a canister is not a requirement while camping at Kearsarge Lakes or Wallace Creek.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/seki/snrm/wildlife/food_storage.htm

But you do need one at Trail Camp. And at those tarns there are no bear boxes or any way to hang your food as described by SEKI. So yeah, you're required to have one.

FRESH deer kill 2 weeks ago above 10,000 ft on way from Lake Ediza to Nydiver Lakes and Whitebark Pass. Did not see the bear, but prints on the ground. Click on picture to enlarge. Harvey

Harvey, how big was the deer -- maybe a fawn? Somehow I have a tough time believing a bear could stalk and kill a deer. But a mountain lion or bobcat, yes. Might be possible the bear drove away the first predator.

Last February, a bear stalked and killed a full grown buck right near the Yosemite Lodge (with an audience of gawking tourists as witnesses). It does occur when the picka-nik baskits are scarce.

B

Yup, I should have posted the link for SEKI too. Bear cans are required at Kearsarge Lakes. I was told I needed one last year when I got my permit. Here's the rules for SEKI:

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/bear_bc.htm

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/upload/food_storage_restrictions_RaeLakes_20070418.pdf

The young deer did not have spots so presumably it was not a newborn. It was not much larger than a spotted fawn. Remember that a bear can weigh several hundreds of lbs. Most predators go after weak, small, ill, injured, or solo victims. This little deer may have fit (the bill of fare). We did look over our shoulders.
We wondered about a mountain lion but the only ground print was bear. The small amount of blood on the ground suggested the actual kill was elsewhere, either that, or the wet, licked appearance of the deer's hair meant that Smokey licked all the blood off.

Curious that their own literature is somewhat contradictory. With the exception of the map in your second link they clearly state that there are only three areas where canisters are required (Rae Lakes, Dusy/Palisade Basin, Rock Creek in Sequoia). For the rest of the park they are merely "stongly recommended". One may choose between a canister, a bear box (if available) and proper counter-balancing (if possible).

That second link shows a map which is titled "Rae Lakes and Kearsarge", referring to the Rae Lakes loop (one of the required areas) and Kearsarge in Inyo NF. But the actual map shows the entire Kings Canyon portion of SEKI as being canister-only. Surely a mistake.


"I was told I needed one last year when I got my permit."

For what it's worth, I have also been incorrectly told that I needed a canister in areas where they are not required. I've had permits stamped with those words when they should not have been. Just because the issuing officer tells you that a canister is required isn't proof that it is really required.

The SEKI map is correct. If you read the requirements for Rae Lakes, the it says Rae Lakes loop and drainages that flow into it, such as East Creek and Kearsarge Lakes. And the map does not show the entire Kings Canyon section of SEKI, only the drainages that go directly into the Rae Lakes Loop. Significant portions of SEKI are north of that area, including another area that is canister-required (Dusy Basin).

I use a canister all the time, even where it is not required. It is so much more convenient than finding a proper hang, and it makes a good camp stool, too.

Need and rules are two entirely different things.

A basic rule of thumb when it comes to bear resistant canisters is if one is requirement anywhere along your backpacking journey you are require carry one.

You're right about the map. "Rae Lakes Loop" translates into a very large swath (but not all) of SEKI. I stand corrected.

I can see their point. People with the intention to keep their food in a bear box might not make it to a box.

I also see that the area in SEKI for which I got a permit stamped BEAR CANISTER REQUIRED is in fact not one of those areas (I got them to reissue it without the stamp).