Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Bears and leaving car windows open

I've heard of this in other high use areas where bears are a problem. We have three kids and have had every food imaginable ground into our cars carpets, I'm sure it smells like a restaurant at least to a bear. At Kings Canyon we had a bear dent our door and start to peel our window frame back. Our car was completely empty except for the residual food smells. In Golds Lakes Basin, my dog scared away a bear that was trying to break into another car of ours, the bear left paw prints and a peeled back a rubber seal on a window. I am thinking of just rolling our windows down and letting the bears poke their heads in, have a look around and leave, leaving my car intact (hopefully).
Has anyone else ever tried this? I guess I am worried that a bear will rip my seats and carpet up and/or leave me a nice smelly gift. But is that better then having one push out a window or peel a frame.

I am not a big fan of leaving my windows open. If your car is as clean as you can get it (visually and smells), there are other options. Hang some socks inside the window with a few moth balls inside the socks. Other then having to air out your car when you get back it seems to work good. The Camphost at the portal recommended it to me a few years ago. I have tried it by leaving the moth balls on top of each tire, but I doubt it is as effective.

do everyone a favor including your kids carpool members and have your carpets cleaned and do some scrubbing yourself.

Thanks goingbacksoon, good advise.
Give me a break, Throcker, I have had them cleaned numerous time and have had many detailings done, I was exagerating a bit in my description. I think the babies have spilled milk in the car, that's a smell that you can't get out no matter how hard you try. So I'm stuck with the smell, unless you want to buy me a new car.

read above post again slowly, and get out a brush and some good detergant.it will work if you put the elbow grease into it.

Anytime I hike out of an area where bears have been known to break in, my windows are always left open. Be sure to leave a window on either side open, if he gets spooked he may not go out the way he came in. Of course, you will still need to be sure to clean out your car so that he won't obtain even the smallest of food item.

Being the father of two small children I am very familiar with the trouble of keeping a car clean. Despite repeated scrubbings of carpets, seats, and other surfaces our family mobile still has a lingering food odor, especially from sour milk. I have also had the car detailed twice and removed the back seats twice (used wrenches and spent the better part of a day). I considered leaving my windows open, but finally decided that my best option was to not take the family mobile. Your having two plus bear problems indicates that your car is a prime target. Leaving the windows open seems to me to only invite bears inside your car. The last thing I'd want is a bear tearing up or scratching the inside of my car. Can you borrow someone else's car or rent a car?

ha! after 4 children of my own and 6 grandchildren running amok in the ol suburban I learned along time ago that those cups that do not spill work wonders. You cant be lazy and and hire someone to do a job that only you really need to do.
If your that worried take the other posters advice and take a different car.

Rent a car for the trip, ensure your insurance or credit card will cover any bear damage, and don't eat in it or leave any food at all in it.

Re renting a car: Right on!!!!

Not only no worries about bear damage, but no worries about breakdowns and wear and tear on your personal vehicle either.

When we were up in June, 300 miles of desert driving and the temperature gauge was in the "cool" position the entire way. Started up to the Portal, and as expected, car started to get warmer. No big deal. Kept it in low, drove along, no hurry.

As we pull into camp ground, temperature starts spiking. Still no big deal - we're there! Pull into designated spot, turn the engine off. Get out, pop the hood to help let everything cool off. Notice a "pin-hole" leak spraying out of top of radiator near filler neck. Then notice another one near seam between top of radiator and body. Then more start appearing along seam around top. Then BOOM! The top of the radiator actually shattered and blew completely off!! (Never seen that before! Nice of them to make radiator tank tops out of plastic. Sigh.)

Fortunately I wasn't bending over it.

Several hours later, we were back in our campsite with a rental car.

Trip would have been a lot cheaper and a lot less stress on the first day just to have rented one in the first place.

Live and learn!

Next time you're at the store, check with Doug Sr. to see how he parks his truck. He opens all of the windows, doors, and the back of his camper shell so that the bears can walk in and take a look without breaking anything..

I was up a few weeks ago and saw a Honda CRV who's door was peeled off like a bananna with bear markings everywhere. The irony of the situation was that a Gummy-Bear was on the hood. That was the cause of many jokes all the way up the trail with my hiking buddies...

Chris

We hiked up in July. I was forced to drive my BMW convertible (Our suburban died before it hit the highway). I, hesitantly, left the windows and the top down and fitted my car cover over the seats and dash. We came back two days later to muddy footprints on the passenger door, on the cover in the back seat and a note from a woman named Linda who parked next to us stating that she shooed two small bears away that had broken her rear window, explored her car and were relaxing in mine when she found them.
Save yourself the stress, rent the cheapest econobox you can and get the extended coverage

Thanks all, I think we will take our chances and roll our windows down like Doug does, I would think that he would have the most experiense up there and since my cars not a convertable BMW, I wont mind a few paw prints. Our car is fully paid for and basically a free ride at this point (except for gas of course).
Extremehiker.com, that's a funny story, I think that a very clever hiker left that gummie bear on the hood and made quite a few people chuckle.

Bears seem to break into cars more at Kings Canyon/ Sequia national Park/ Yosemite. etc. You have seen the pictures. I have never left my windows open at the portal, but have always tried to keep my car clean (even visually since bears might think a cell phone is a candy bar) The camp host told me of an expensive car (like a BMW) with windows open....the bear tore up the seats looking for "some smell underneath." Windows open is not without risk.