Bear Safety: Hosting and Camping Responsibly in Bear Country

Let’s work together to keep wildlife wild, and our communities healthy and safe.

Not all Hipcamps are in bear country, but many are. Whether you’re spending time outside in black bear or grizzly bear territory, we want you to have all the information you need to recreate responsibly and with respect for wildlife. Consider this article your guide to being bear aware while hosting and camping, whether you’re pitching your tent at a Hipcamp or pulling your van up to a national park campground.

Bear safety tips for landowners

Here’s some guidance for Hipcamp Hosts in bear country to ensure you’re providing a safe and bear aware experience for your campers.

1. Spread the word! Visitors may not realize there are bears around or, even if they are aware, they may not know how to reduce the risks of a bear encounter. Share information with your guests about what it means to live, camp, and recreate in bear country.

2. Stash your trash. If you provide trash disposal for your Hipcampers, consider using certified bear-resistant trash cans and even providing bear-resistant cools or food storage containers like bear boxes. Give guests instructions for how to store garbage so bears can’t get to it.

3. If you are in grizzly country, consider recommending to Hipcampers that they bring or purchase bear spray to ensure they are adequately equipped.

4. Make sure there aren’t odorous items on the property that might attract bears, like bird food or compost.

5. Consult your local, state, or federal wildlife agency if you have questions about bear presence in your area, and consider setting guidelines for guests that are consistent with those provided by your local experts. For example, this National Park Service page is a great resource to share if you are hosting campers near Glacier National Park. For more information about certified bear-resistant products, how to handle a bear encounter, and all things bear safety, visit the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

Safety tips for camping in bear country

Hikers and campers should keep these quick tips in mind when recreating in areas bears frequent.

1. Keep a clean camp. Like many other species, bears are curious animals and follow their noses in a constant search for food. Ultimately, they want nothing to do with people and will move on, as long as we don’t feed them by mistake. Don’t keep food, trash, or odorous items inside a tent or soft-sided shelter (a yurt, for example), and don’t leave them outside unattended.

2. If you must leave food or items with odors (think toothpaste, chapstick, sunscreen, etc.) outside, store them so bears cannot access them, in a certified bear-resistant container, hanging from a pole or tree, or in a vehicle (be aware that bears can get into vehicles, however).

3. If eating outdoors (you are camping, after all!), cook at least 100 feet way from where you’ll be sleeping. Keep your area and equipment (dishes and grills, for example) clean, removing all food, dishes, scraps, —anything with an odor—and storing it securely. And don’t burn food scraps or garbage!

4. If you’re recreating in grizzly bear country, have bear spray accessible at all times and know how to use it. Hike in groups, make noise, and stay alert. Keep your distance from any wildlife you might encounter, and remember to never approach a bear.

5. Relax and enjoy the great outdoors! Bears want to avoid people, and encounters are very rare.

This resource was built in collaboration with People and Carnivores, a nonprofit organization working to help humans and wildlife coexist in the Northern Rockies region.