The only other time was about three years ago, DW and I were at Twin Lakes, near Bridgeport off of 395 in California. The camp resort warned of bears. Not to even leave coolers out. The bears knew what they had in them. Me being hardheaded, said to DW that they can't smell the beer cans and that it will be okay! I forgot that I had made a fresh batch of OJ and put it in the cooler. Long story, short, we caught the bear drinking the OJ. He ran when I turned on the porch light. Those are my bear stories. I hope you have some good ones to tell after your trip. Watching a bear is pretty fantastic!! Be safe and enjoy the trip!!
Could this be Annettes Mono Village? Been going there now and then for about 45 years. More often than not, we've had bears. In decades past they practically encouraged the bears to raid campsites, and even their trash containers along the road did not have locking covers. I think they thought it promoted their business. The bears got so bold that it would barely be dark before they would start wandering around. I'm not aware of anyone getting hurt, but plenty of rigs and equipment did. The Forest Service has cracked down hard on them, so it isn't as wild as it was, but the bears still come down. Bears are at least as smart as your dog, and scent or not, they know what an ice chest looks like. They even know how to open them without breaking. Not because they care about your chest, but because they know that silence works. We have watched them empty mayonaise out of a jar with that long dog like tongue. Seen them eat nightcrawlers. Velveeta cheese, bacon, lunch meat. Not all at once mind you, but each of these were different incidents. I guess we were slow learners. But as tent campers, the options for hiding stuff were limited and a fair amount of inconvenience.
I think the most inconvenience we had was when a bear dragged an almost full bag of dog kibble away into the woods. This was at Lee Vining Creek. It wasn't easy to find the right food up there to finish the week.
These were all Black Bears of course. I think you are likely to have more bear problems at Yosemite and the Sierra's, than you will at Yellowstone. But at least they won't be Grizzlies.
I have spent the last 35 years in the bush and bear country. If you don't bother them -- they won't bother you. Yes, if you are so stupid to keep advancing to "get a better picture" they WILL feel you are getting in their personal space and react to push you back. We have had a few close (6-8) bear experiences on the the last 45 years but NONE where we felt threatened -- surprised but not threatened.
There seems to be no greater phobia among urban persons than bears. The people seem to create their own fears of wild animals (in part because of little experience) and then go to great efforts to "protect themselves" from non-existent events.
The OP can relax and have wonderful time enjoying the great National Parks of the west and feel as safe as they would camping in their own back yard (only the scenery will be fantastic and different) ---just relearn the camp kitchen hygiene and etiquette necessary in the wildlands.
Bob and Marlene
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We did our Alaska trip in 2007. On a closed off section of 101 in northern CA a black bear stepped onto the roadway about 100 feet ahead of us and headed around a corner of the road. By the time we got to where we'd seen him all we found was steaming skat.
Same trip, but in BC, DW was out walking the dog along a dirt road near the campground just outside of St George. A bear stepped out of the woods 40 feet ahead of her....she screamed, the dog barked and the bear ran back into the woods.
In Alaska way out in the boonies, driving our truck down a dirt road we came upon a grizzly ambling along the road. We slowly drove up to where we could no longer see it over the hood, figuring we'd scare it off. Right, we ended up following it for another half mile before it decide to get off the road.
Way back in the day before the RV craze I was driving a motorcycle from LA up to Washington state. Decided to spend the night in a Yosemite NP campground. No tent just two army surplus woolen sleeping bag liners and a ground cloth. Was awoken early in the morning by someone kicking my left leg. When I looked down towards my feet, a black bear had my right leg is its jaws and was slapping my other leg with his paw. Every time I moved my leg a bit it would growl and clamp down a little tighter. I knew if I didn't do something I would be breakfast.....so I sat up quickly and yelled and this startled the bear and it let go and backed off. Then leisurely walked away and looked through the trashcans in the campground. I went to the restroom and changed my shorts!
In later years I learned how lucky I had been in Yosemite.
Those are my bear stories and I'm stickin' to them......
Cya l8r,
the oakman
funny, I don't remember being absent minded
funny, I don't remember being absent minded
Quote: Banff National Park in Alberta. Fully hard-sided RV stays in one part of the CG. Fold downs, end slides of canvas, tents, anything made of fabric of any kind parks in a part of the CG inside of a high electric fence to keep the bears out. Seems to work really well for them, but they also have the same common sense rules as Yellowstone, etc.
WHAT.... Since when.. Been camping here for MANY years, never been put in the `bear`section, let alone even heard of one.. I think someone was pulling your chain. The ONLY time you will get placed in a different area HERE is because your trailer won`t fit in another spot.
We have the same rules as everyone else. Keep it clean or pay fines.
glacier park also has at least one campground where tent campers are in an enclosed fence. Haven't seen the ones in Banff but I have seen one in Glacier. Many of the glacier/banff campgrounds are far enough away from bears that it isn't much of an issue.
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My daughter came home from 2nd grade two days in a row saying that they saw a bear in the woods at recess. Well, we just laughed her off because the woods is less than 4 acres and we don't live anywhere near bears. These were the same kids that found dinosaur bones under the swing set in kindergarten.
It was Friday so we set off to go camping 6 hours away in the mountains where we typically see black bear. We had a great weekend camping but didn't see any bear. Upon coming home we learned that we should have camped in the school parking lot, because sure enough a young black bear was caught at her school. Why he was here so far away from where he should be is a mystery, but everyone was thankful that he stayed in the woods during recess and no one was hurt. It left the kids with a great memory of the days a bear came to their school.
So the moral is; you never know where you may have a bear encounter and that the kids are sometimes right!
Living in Northern California our bears appear to be "Brown" and curious. Many an "Urban visitor" ( City Folk) have lured them onto rented houseboats. They are so cute.. Not uncommon for calls of help from the roofs of boats where scared visitors were forced to retreat! Sad part here is many bears are shot because of over familiar encounters with humans. All the advice here was helpful it will keep your wife and you safe.
Quote: Banff National Park in Alberta. Fully hard-sided RV stays in one part of the CG. Fold downs, end slides of canvas, tents, anything made of fabric of any kind parks in a part of the CG inside of a high electric fence to keep the bears out. Seems to work really well for them, but they also have the same common sense rules as Yellowstone, etc.
WHAT.... Since when.. Been camping here for MANY years, never been put in the `bear`section, let alone even heard of one.. I think someone was pulling your chain. The ONLY time you will get placed in a different area HERE is because your trailer won`t fit in another spot.
We have the same rules as everyone else. Keep it clean or pay fines.
Lake Louise has a fenced section for tents & soft sides. No other sites do.
Quote: Banff National Park in Alberta. Fully hard-sided RV stays in one part of the CG. Fold downs, end slides of canvas, tents, anything made of fabric of any kind parks in a part of the CG inside of a high electric fence to keep the bears out. Seems to work really well for them, but they also have the same common sense rules as Yellowstone, etc.
WHAT.... Since when.. Been camping here for MANY years, never been put in the `bear`section, let alone even heard of one.. I think someone was pulling your chain. The ONLY time you will get placed in a different area HERE is because your trailer won`t fit in another spot.
We have the same rules as everyone else. Keep it clean or pay fines.
Lake Louise has a fenced section for tents & soft sides. No other sites do.
The entire Lake Louise townsite is fenced to keep bears out.
dannytas wrote: The camp resort warned of bears. Not to even leave coolers out. The bears knew what they had in them. Me being hardheaded, said to DW that they can't smell the beer cans and that it will be okay! I forgot that I had made a fresh batch of OJ and put it in the cooler. Long story, short, we caught the bear drinking the OJ. He ran when I turned on the porch light.
These sort of things often end up being the bear's death sentence. The Park rules say to properly store food and garbage. They are saying it to protect the bears.
Normal behavior is that bears want nothing to do with humans unless startled, provoked or it feels threatend. I.E. getting between a sow and her cubs.
When a bear finds an easy food source in a campsite it will return which it will associate food to people and may start getting agressive towards people leaving the Parks department little choice but to destroy the bear.
I've spent lots of time in Banff and Yoho National park where they will first trap and relocate but sometimes it returns leaving the Parks little choice.
Read the brochures about bears in the National Parks for their sake and enjoy from a distance.
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He ran when I turned on the porch light. Those are my bear stories. I hope you have some good ones to tell after your trip. Watching a bear is pretty fantastic!! Be safe and enjoy the trip!! 
