Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Campground Bears

After reading some of the previous posts about the excessive bear presence in the campground, are there any added precautions that should be taken? I'm just wondering if people are still cooking in camps, or just eating power bars and instant food, rather than frying and/or grilling things that smell really good to bears? I know bacon sizzling up in the morning smells awful good to me, and might be an added attractant for a bear.

thanks for your help

Bears have always been a problem in the Portal. In 10 years I have seen but one bear, who eventually broke into two cars because their owners left food inside.

I don't worry about them one little bit. Just clean your car before you come and take care of your food while you are there.

Why cook dinner when you can go to the Whitney Portal Store grill? Also, you can get a huge "10 inch" pancake there for breakfast.

It is hard to say what the bear presence will be like in any given year. I remember camping in Tuolumne Meadows when a bear kept coming though the campground around sunset, and then when I was there a year or two ago there had been no sightings that summer. A lot has to do with proper food storage and disposal. All it takes is one crack to start a flood. Not only can you smell bacon a mile away, but you have the leftover grease to dispose of.