Campground Food Storage and Bear Box Regulations

Bear country food storage mandates

Federal land agencies enforce strict food storage regulations in campgrounds inhabited by black bears and grizzly bears. Under federal wildlife protection laws (36 CFR 2.10), all food, garbage, and scented items must be stored in bear-resistant containers or agency-installed metal food lockers whenever not in immediate use.

Immediate use means food is within arm's reach of an awake, alert adult. Leaving food on a picnic table while walking thirty feet to a water faucet or pitching a tent violates regulations.

Rangers patrol campgrounds day and night. Leaving coolers or food boxes unattended triggers immediate citations, fines exceeding two hundred dollars, and confiscation of unattended property.

What qualifies as an attractant

Campers often assume bear regulations apply only to fresh meat or fragrant cooking. Bears possess an olfactory sense seven times stronger than a bloodhound, detecting faint chemical odors from great distances.

All of the following items must go inside metal bear boxes:

• Food and drinks: Raw ingredients, canned goods, sealed foil pouches, bread, fruit, beer, wine, and soda cans.
• Coolers and containers: Empty coolers, ice chests, water jugs, and dry food storage bins retain lingering food scents on plastic walls.
• Cooking equipment: Camp stoves, charcoal grills, pots, frying pans, plates, forks, cutting boards, and dishcloths.
• Toiletries and cosmetics: Toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, sunscreen, lip balm, shampoo, perfume, wet wipes, and insect repellent.
• Pet supplies: Dog kibble, pet bowls, and pet waste bags.
• Refuse: Garbage bags, food wrappers, empty cans, and discarded packaging.

If an item has a scent or was used to prepare food, it belongs in the locker.

Locker dimensions and cooler capacity

Agency-installed bear lockers (bear boxes) are constructed of heavy-gauge steel with specialized slam-latches or internal release levers that bears cannot operate with claws.

Standard locker dimensions at parks like Yosemite National Park campgrounds and Sequoia & Kings Canyon campgrounds:

• Width: 48 inches (4 feet).
• Depth: 36 inches (3 feet).
• Height: 28 inches.
• Internal volume: Approximately 18 to 20 cubic feet.

A standard 48-inch steel locker holds two 45-to-50-quart hard-sided coolers, plus two or three grocery bags of dry goods. Massive rotomolded 75-quart or 100-quart coolers often do not fit through the locker door opening. Measure your coolers before traveling to ensure they fit inside the dimensions.

Vehicle food storage bans in high-conflict parks

In most national forests, storing sealed food inside a hard-sided vehicle with rolled-up windows is permitted. However, in parks with historically habituated bear populations, vehicle food storage is strictly prohibited after dark:

• In Yosemite Valley, bears have learned to peel car door frames, pop hatchback latches, and smash rear windows to reach visible coolers or child car seats coated in cracker crumbs.
• In Grand Teton National Park campgrounds and Glacier National Park campgrounds, grizzly bears can break into vehicle trunks.

In these parks, all food, coolers, and toiletries must be removed from vehicles and placed in campground lockers before nightfall. Clean your vehicle interior thoroughly before your trip, vacuuming up toddler snacks, french fries, and drink containers.

Read our detailed reservation guides for Yosemite camping and Grand Teton camping for park-specific wildlife policies.