If You Go Into the Woods Today: Bear Etiquette for Outdoor Adventures in the US
Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, Shenandoah—some of our favorite places have been bear country for far longer than they’ve been national parks. When you’re here, you’re on their turf. Bears have their own set of rules, and it’s important we play by them, for our safety and theirs.
Before embarking on adventures into bear country, all park-goers need to know how to handle encounters with these unpredictable creatures—and, more importantly, how to avoid those encounters in the first place. For your next walk in the woods, keep these tips in mind.
Keep your distance
Every park has different rules: In Yellowstone, you need to stay 100 yards away from bears; in Shenandoah, 200 yards. No one expects you to eyeball a football field—it’s more about the principle: give bears space. They’re less likely to be frightened, surprised, or find you worth sniffing out if you maintain your distance. Violate park rules, and you could wind up with a hefty fine, in jail, or be the reason an animal gets put down.
Don’t feed them, approach them, or otherwise interact with them. It’s just not worth the Instagram likes.
Store your food properly
Put your food and other fragrant items, like deodorant or lotion, in a bear-proof canister. Lots of national parks offer metal storage boxes at campsites or trailheads; otherwise, familiarize yourself with the proper way to hang bear bags from trees. Never keep fragrant items inside your tent or your car—bears can break into vehicles (and damage them) if they’re curious enough. RVs can be safe for food storage if they’re solid and have no cloth pop-outs.
Bears use smell, but they also use sight, and they know what human food tends to look like. It’s best to keep plastic bags and food-associated materials out of view, too.
Carry bear spray
Too often this comes as an afterthought or a casual recommendation—in bear-country reality, it’s as necessary as a good pair of shoes for your outdoor adventures. National park gift shops, convenience stores, or visitor centers sometimes sell bear spray, though it’s best not to count on it and bring your own.
Hopefully, you won’t have to use it (because you’re following the rest of these tips!). But if you do, stand your ground, ready the deterrent, and yell, “Hey, bear!” If the bear charges you, don’t worry about your aim—simply get a large cloud of spray between you and the animal, and keep spraying until you can get away and the bear flees.
Make noise!
Bears don’t like being surprised—especially mama bears with cubs. Whenever you’re approaching a blind turn, the sun is setting, or you’re simply in a densely forested area with little to no distance vision, be loud. Some hikers carry noisemakers; some routinely clap, yell, or sing. If the bear knows you’re coming, and knows you’re human, odds are it will keep its distance.
Insider tip: Hike in a group. The louder the group, the better.
Leave Fido at home
Bears are unpredictable, and so are dogs. Your fluffy four-legged friend could sniff out a bear, make it angry, or simply scare it—and that’s not a situation you or Fido want to be in. That being said, we get it. If your canine companion is your BHF (best hiking friend) and you can’t imagine leaving him or her at home, always, always use a leash, and keep them by your side at all times.
Stay calm
If you do pique a bear’s interest, stay calm. Make yourself large—perhaps by moving up in elevation, if possible—and continue being noisy. Running or panicking will only make the bear more agitated. Get a hand on your deterrent, and start moving away in a sideways direction. Keep your eyes on the bear at all times, and keep yelling. Increase the distance between you and the bear until it loses interest and you feel safe.
Best national parks to see bears
While plenty of national parks are smack-dab in the middle of bear country, here are a few of our favorites.
Katmai National Park: Home to the ever-popular Fat Bear Week, Alaska's Katmai is famous for its chubby brown bears catching salmon on the lip of Brooks Falls. You can even watch them on live cams throughout summer and into fall.
Glacier National Park: Both black bears and grizzly bears call this rugged landscape in Montana home—so many in fact, that Glacier has one of the largest populations of bears in the Lower 48. Be on the lookout wherever you are, especially in mornings and evenings.
Yellowstone National Park: Well-known for its incredible wildlife, Yellowstone also sees black and grizzly bears roaming its volcanic terrain. Head out into the Hayden or Lamar valleys on an early morning safari to see the most wildlife activity.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Great Smoky Mountains has one of the country’s largest populations of black bears—roughly 1,500. Beat the crowds driving through Cades Cove and head out near sunrise for the best odds of witnessing (from a distance!) these wild creatures.
Denali National Park & Preserve: Visitors to Denali routinely aim to spot the Big 5: moose, Dall sheep, caribou, wolves, and Alaskan brown bears. These creatures tend to avoid the frontcountry; join a tour to get deep into the park—and to have a wildlife pro do the spotting for you.
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