To be worried about camping in America?

[3lionsonapoacher]

In August we're doing a road trip from San Francisco to Utah. Idea was we'd get hotels along the way but it's taking out expensive.
DH said he'd love to camp somebody of it and I agreed it sounded lovely, sleeping under the stars, next to lakes etc and we do a lot of camping in England so I agreed.

However after looking into it, all the areas we're going to a frequented by bears!! And I'm shitting myself that we'll end up in a situation. It just doesn't seem worth the risk to me.

AIBU to insist we just stick to hotels for this reason?

We camped in the Rockies on campgrounds. No problem with bears - we were told to lock all food, toiletries, dirty clothes etc. in the car. The rangers kept an eye on any bears - a grizzly wandered through the campground one evening - we got some great photos. That was one encounter in two weeks. They shut the campgrounds if there are too many bears around. This was Canada, but assume the US would be very similar. It was a fantastic experience.

I spent a few weeks backpacking and wild camping in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Most places there were no bear boxes so we'd spend ages each evening trying to hang everything from a suitable tree. Not sure we ever managed to get things out of reach of a bear tbh. The one night there was a bear box nearby was the night that a bear came calling while we were cooking our supper. Just stood in the trees watching from about 50 get away. Later when we were taking stuff to the best box after dark our torches kept on picking up a pair of beedy eyes in the trees, and the next morning there was a large bear print in the patch of snow beside our tent - but we had been oblivious to a night time visit, and nothing was damaged.
A few nights later we were in a commercial campsite just outside the national park, and we're horrified at the lack of concern/awareness about bears - people having barbecues and leaving bones in open bins, storing food in their cars etc (not having a car, we had to train quite hard with the campsite staff to let us leave things in their office). That night we were disturbed by a bear, who was rampaging through the campsite going through all the bins. We halfheartedly tried to see it off before retreating to our tent. Gear didn't do any harm to any people (don't remember about cars), but we felt a smug satisfaction telling the campsite staff about the mess and broken bins when we collected or rucksacks the next day.

Train quite hard? I think I was trying to say argue quite hard.

Dd is doing Camp America in Pennsylvania atm and bofe the kids arrive a couple of young bears wandered onto site. Apparently once dc arrive they keep away. No food allowed in bunks because of bears

American here who grew up in what would be considered bear territory and camped many times in the country. You'll be fine. Bear attacks are extremely, extremely rare. Bears will sometimes go for food in dumpsters but are afraid of humans and mostly avoid us. The only thing I would be cautious off is if you're not used to camping it can be time consuming and uncomfortable, so it may be better to get a motel.

I camped 3 nights in Yosemite last year (saw no bears there), and in the High Sierra & desert about 20 yrs ago. No bear, puma, crawlies or snake issues. Re Bears: Just follow the rules they tell you to follow about smelly stuff.

Won’t it be costly and a huge PITA to take a tent and camping stuff on the plane?

Not too costly since we don't pack a lot of other stuff, but very bulky to get it all to airport. I borrowed sleeping bags from my cousin, to avoid having to bring a whole 'nother large suitcase. Stove fuel, you have to buy there, too.

... cousin told a story about camping with hippy types who thought it was fine to feed the bears . Cousin not happy to see bear rooting thru hippy's cars. Some people are still idiots.

We have had several camping trips in the South West US. Never had a problem with bears. Follow all the instructions about food and anything smelly (like toothpaste). You should book national park camsites now, it may be too late for some of them. There are usually some “on the day” pitches but they fill quickly and may be in the less developed sites (possibly no running water, pit toilets). If you are camping in a tent try to avoid mixed RV and tent sites. The RVs can be noisy if they run their AC. The heat can be a problem camping in the south west, it depends where you are. If the ground is very hot when you pitch your tent it stays very hot all night. If you are very high up, like the north side of the Grand Canyon it can be cold at night, we had a hard frost overnight in September, another September trip there was six inches of snow in Bryce Canyon (though we did see a mountain lion there to compensate). We alternate a couple of nights camping with a couple of nights in a motel. We take our own camping gear, in two large hold all’s, we have a tiny gas stove for boiling the kettle in the morning and cook everything else on the barbecue and wood fires that every campsite provides.
We have loved our US trips, camping in national parks especially is a magical experience, that first cup of (terrible American) tea in the quiet of the early morning, can’t beat it.

Good point about bookings... I had to book 5 months in advance to get in Grand Canyon (2014) so probably nothing available there now (too hot in bottom, anyway, in August).

I’m sure you’ll be fine... but I’d be scared because 1) bears and 2) I’ve been reading the missing 411 by David Pailaudis (don’t know if I spelt his name right) about people who go creepily missing in national parks in the USA 😂

Animals I have seen in US campsites - deer, elk, squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, foxes, a skunk (very cute) and birds. This is making me very nostalgic for those holidays.

*Bears, Rattlesnakes, Racoons, Black Widow Spiders, coyotes, Elk, wild Boar (in huge numbers)

Its also worth noting that you should be aware of what kind of area you are in as some of the humans are unsavory ! Theres a massive heroin epidemic in the US right now and being robbed is a real risk.*

The crazy thing about animals is that they are generally more afraid of people than you are of them. The chances of any of these animals getting close to you is slim to none.

And the opioid epidemic is in Appalachia, the opposite side of the country from where the OP will be, and most addicts aren't hanging out at Yosemite waiting to rob unsuspecting campers of their hot dogs.

You can book national park campsites online now. Not like the old days when I took a day off work to hang on the phone the day the bookings opened for the lodges in Yellowstone.

When I went with a friend (a long time ago admittedly) we stayed in motels just off the highway. Very big rooms with two double beds, breakfast, and most had pools for a quick swim before bed. Not scenic or experience hotels but they did the trick. And a third of the cost of cheap hotels at the time.

A colleague of mine does long multi night hikes in the south west, wild camping. He has encountered bears and says banging pans together and yelling will drive them off, they’re looking for an easy meal, not a fight.

I was going to camp for a round four nights with a friend in Yosemite. I could not sleep due to bear fright on the first night! I could hear them rattling the bear-safe trash cans, and there was a sign up saying "there have been 365 bear related incidents on this site this year" along with a load of instructions on how not to avoid them. I also didn't want to go to the loo in the night across the campsite in case I met a bear. Personally I loved Yosemite but if you can't sleep safely it's no holiday. I told my friend how I felt and the next day we moved to a motel - cheap but cheerful, free parking and no bear issues!!

Female bears can be extremely dangerous if they have cubs with them and they decide you are a threat. But apart from that, as long as you are sensible about food etc, I’m sure you’ll be OK.

last year I got into Yosemite with only about 2 months notice. But that was October, and I had to move campsite every morning (nowhere available 2 or 3 nights in a row). State park campsites are great, though and rarely fill up completely. I don't recommend this place for camping, though, I've never dealt with such hard ground anywhere else and on steep slopes far from the water taps (shudder). Their cabins turned out to be fine, though.... and wifi!

Be extra careful in August, when hungry bears are filling up with high-energy foods in preparation for winter denning. Fatal attacks most often occur in this month.

Camping in America is fantastic! You’re unlikely to get into any of the best sites at such short notice but if you do just put all food and toiletries in the bear box.

To be honest, I'd be more worried about getting shot than worried about bears. I've wanted to visit America for many years, but tbh the idea with the way things are regarding mass shootings now terrifies me. I would not feel safe in America at all, and would be scared someone next to me in a checkout line would have a concealed gun.

I camp a lot in the US.

Never experienced anyone waving around a gun.

Have experienced a bear who was VERY determined to get my friend's food that she had very stupidly not locked away in her car. All the yelling and banging and stick waving in the world didn't get rid of it. Eventually it got the food it wanted and left.

You are safe only if you and all your neighbours are sensible.

I don't camp with that friend any more.

I do take bear spray.

The bear was about 3 feet from my children.

Camping is brilliant that part of the world. No worries about storms and soggy tents.

The national parks are something else. Seems such a shame to miss out.

The sites have desinated food areas woth bear lockers up in the air to lock your food in. As well as specific cooking areas. Both are away from the area you camp in.

There are bear alarms and bell systems set up so you can hear if somethings near by.

Some sites even have little platforms to camp on so you are not on the ground.

I would personally be more worried about snakes etc than bears.

Wheres theres groups of people bears tend to stay away unless theres food. Remove the food from area problem solved.

And this is coming from someone who has been chased by a mother bear. It was on horseback in the rockies though in Canada.

Even with that I would jump at the chance to camp there.

I’m not sure about no rain, the heaviest rain I have ever camped in was in Mesa Verde, Colorado. An all night thunderstorm with amazing lightning. Torrential rain most of the night. When we emerged almost everyone else had abandoned the campsite. I really recommend Mesa Verde though, a fascinating place. Great campsite as well, we’ve been back on a dry night! No bears.

There was a fecking bear on my girl guide camp site when I turned up last month. I’d just finished my ‘bear aware’ safety talk and gone through all the ground rules, and then I took the girls off through the woods to explore. They all started yelling ‘look a bear’ - my other guiders thought I was testing the girls to make sure they knew what to do.
Anyhoo. Yeah. Bears. It’s summer. They are bleeding everywhere. Keep your site completely food and toiletry free (including that lip salve you keep by your bed). Big sites will have a bear hang or bear lockers (I was out last weekend and we saw tons of scat but no actual bears, but I had seen three outside my house the day before).
As long as you are sensible and rehearse what to do if you meet up with a bear on the trail, you will be fine.
There’s a great you tube going round at the mo from the Canadian Rockies (two hikers at the start of EEOR) which shows how a bear encounter usually goes. You can hear the dude sweating, but he does everything right, and the giant grizzly goes round them and carries on his way.
Buy a bear bag to stash smellies in, and go camp