Worried about a bear visiting your tent at night? Here is how to store food while camping bears are around: keep every scented item in a locker, vehicle or bear canister, or hung high, never in your tent.
This page is one part of the camping guide, which covers the wider basics of planning a trip.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Hanging height and distance from the trunk (Kenai Fjords) | At least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet out from a tree trunk |
| Tree spacing for a backcountry hang (Big South Fork) | About 30 feet apart |
| Limb height for a backcountry hang (Big South Fork) | 15 to 20 feet |
| Distance to keep from a bear you see outside camp (Big South Fork) | At least 50 yards |
The figures come from National Park Service pages for Kenai Fjords National Park (last updated April 24, 2025) and Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (last updated May 15, 2026). Rules and numbers differ by park and can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
Why bears and food do not mix
Kenai Fjords National Park describes bears as intelligent, curious and opportunistic. Its food storage page says that once bears learn people may be an easy source of food, they lose their natural shyness and can become aggressive.
The consequence is blunt. The same page says bears conditioned to human food are likely to be killed in defense of life or property, and sums it up as “a fed bear is a dead bear.”
Big South Fork adds that allowing a bear to obtain human food even once often leads to it becoming aggressive toward people when it comes back looking for more, as its camp in bear country page explains (last updated July 1, 2022). Careful storage protects you, and it protects the bear.
What counts as food
Think wider than your dinner. Big South Fork’s food storage guidelines say that food includes any item with a scent, regardless of packaging. That covers:
- Canned goods, bottles and drinks
- Soaps, cosmetics and toiletries
- Trash
- Ice chests, even when empty
- Unwashed items used for preparing or eating meals
Voyageurs National Park offers a simple test on its bears and food storage page: in general, if you would put it in your mouth or on your skin, it should be stored away. It also says to store or hang items a bear might mistake for food, such as water jugs, and garbage such as empty cans and jars, foil and plastic wrap.
How to store food while camping: where it can safely go
The right answer depends on where you camp. As of the Kenai Fjords page updated April 24, 2025, all food, including garbage and cooking gear that smells of food, must be kept in one of these:
- A hard-sided building
- A lockable, hard-sided vehicle, vessel or aircraft
- A park-provided metal food storage locker
- An approved portable bear-resistant food canister
- Suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet out from a tree trunk or post
The same page is just as clear about what does not count. It says not to store food in tents, coolers, ice chests, plastic storage boxes, stuff sacks, dry bags, plastic bags or kayaks, and calls this ineffective and illegal. It also notes that portable canisters include PVC or aluminum designs, and that some local kayak companies rent backpacker canisters.
Campground lockers are the easiest option where they exist. Voyageurs National Park’s bears and food storage page says its campsite lockers hold two standard size 48-quart coolers, and the Whiskeytown campground regulations say food and other items with food odor go in the bear-proof locker or your vehicle unless in immediate use, never in your tent.
Where there are no lockers, rules can be stricter about vehicles. As of the Big South Fork guidelines updated May 15, 2026, food, garbage, coolers and cooking equipment must be kept sealed in a vehicle or in a solid, non-pliable camper or closed trailer, and food must never be left unattended unless it is properly stored.
How to hang food in the backcountry
When there is no locker, a rope hang keeps food out of reach. Big South Fork’s camp in bear country page (last updated July 1, 2022) describes the method:
- Find two trees approximately 30 feet apart with limbs 15 to 20 feet above the ground.
- Throw a rope across the limbs, leaving enough slack to attach your container or pack.
- Pull the rope tight so the load stabilizes high enough that a bear cannot reach it.
- Keep the container centered between the two trees, in case a bear climbs a tree and reaches for the food.
Hanging heights are set by each park, so the two pages below give different figures. The Kenai Fjords food storage page (updated April 24, 2025) lists food suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet out from a tree trunk. The Voyageurs bears and food storage page says to hang a food pack 14 feet above the ground, so check which figure applies where you are camping.
Add a rope and a bear-resistant container to your list when you work through the camping checklist for beginners.
Keeping a clean camp
Storage only works if the rest of camp is tidy too. These habits come straight from the park pages:
- Cook some distance from your sleeping area, since food odors on a tent may attract a bear.
- Pick up food scraps after every meal and wipe off picnic tables.
- Plan meals carefully so you do not have excess food left over.
- Pack out your garbage; do not bury or burn it.
- Dispose of fish entrails in deep water, as Voyageurs advises.
Kenai Fjords puts it plainly: never sleep in the same clothing you wore while cooking supper. Pack a separate sleep layer, and read how to stay warm while camping for ideas, using the guide to how to stay warm while camping to plan layers that fit this rule.
What should you do if a bear comes into camp?
Advice differs a little by park and by setting, so read your park’s own guidance. In a developed area such as a campground, Big South Fork says to act immediately to scare the bear away by yelling or banging pots together. If there is more than one of you, stand together without surrounding the bear, and never get between a mother and her cubs.
Away from camp, the same page says to keep at least 50 yards away, not to run, and to make yourself look as big as possible. Voyageurs adds that you should never feed the bear, and if it is persistent, pack up your food and trash and retreat slowly to a secure area. Big South Fork’s camp page says to grab your food and move to the safety of a car or building.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep food in my tent if it is sealed in a dry bag?
Show answer
No. As of Kenai Fjords’ April 24, 2025 update, the park lists tents, dry bags, stuff sacks and plastic bags among places where storing food is ineffective and illegal. Whiskeytown’s regulations also say never to store these items in your tent.
Is a cooler bear-proof?
Show answer
Not by itself. Big South Fork counts ice chests as food, even when empty, so they belong in a sealed vehicle or a solid camper. Voyageurs lockers are built to hold two standard 48-quart coolers.
Can I bury or burn my trash?
Show answer
Voyageurs says to pack out your garbage when you leave and not to bury or burn it. Until then, store or hang it like any other scented item.
What if a bear gets into my food?
Show answer
As of Big South Fork’s May 15, 2026 update, you must report the incident to a park ranger. The page also says failure to comply with its regulations may result in a citation.
