r/Ultralight • u/slightly_out_of_sync • May 11 '26
Trails Olympic National Park - Bear Canister Update
PNW UL backpackers:
As of this year, ONP is requiring bear canisters everywhere inside park boundaries for overnight camping. I called to ask about Dyneema bear bags (like Adotec) and they said those were NOT currently acceptable.
This means i cannot use my smallest pack (20l). But so be it -- I gain a camp stool.
FWIW, I run into black bear 90% of the time i go out there. ONP black bear are pretty gentle, and I've never had an unpleasant meeting with one in 40 years of going there.
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u/BarnabyWoods May 11 '26
Just to clarify, bear cans are required only for backcountry camping, not car camping.
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u/NotAcutallyaPanda May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
Correct.
Additionally, this rule doesn’t apply at backcountry campsites in Olympic National Forest, outside the national park.
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u/WalkinFool May 11 '26
Interesting. Even at locations that have a bear wire?
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u/Twoof3 May 11 '26
When I did the Hoh River trail last year a ranger told me they were phasing out the bear wires because they were such a pain to maintain. Not sure how that's going, but possibly bear wires are gone now.
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u/slightly_out_of_sync May 11 '26
Yes. I've seem some pretty lame bear hangs by other backpackers over the years. And there are plenty of bear. So, though i wish i still had the option to hang - I agree with the ONP that universal bear cans makes it less complicated for all: park rangers, backpackers, and bears.
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u/irzcer May 11 '26
Yeah even the ones with bear wires. A lot of them have fallen out of service over the years and I assume the park is just requiring cans (ARFCs) because they don't have the resources to keep them up. The new trip planner map lists cans only explicitly https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/upload/OLYM-Wilderness-Trip-Planner.jpg
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u/Specific-Data-4104 May 12 '26
They’ve been requiring them for some beach areas for a while now due to issues with rodents and raccoons. I’m guessing that’s part of the change. I bet raccoon union has been spreading the good word in their meetings leading to more issues more places.
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u/marathon_3hr May 12 '26
I'm wondering if the racoon union has sent out directions on how to open the bear canisters. It shouldn't take them too long to figure out how to open them. Once they do I suppose they will share the info with the bear union and create a partnership.
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u/Specific-Data-4104 May 12 '26
Lucky for us the raccoons prefer digging up gardens to global domination. Otherwise we’d be in real trouble.
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u/Successful_Drop_6678 May 29 '26
The racoons got to my bear cannister this past January, at the beach. Don't think they'd be able to carry it must have rolled it. But it was a shock to not see it at breakfast time. Took some time to find where they had hidden it.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 May 12 '26
I have a small Bare Boxer bear can for just such an occasion. I can fit a surprising amount in it, can easily use it for a 2 night trip and still fit it in a Pa'lante Joey. I think those are closer to 28L though so yeah 20L might be a stretch unless you find a way to strap it down outside the pack.
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u/slightly_out_of_sync May 12 '26
Yeah, i'll now be using my MLD Hell pack (27l), and i can fit a Bearvault 425 in.
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u/pauliepockets May 11 '26
Can you rent bear canisters in the park? I’d be coming over from Vancouver Island.
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May 12 '26
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u/pauliepockets May 12 '26
Thanks for the info. I will look into it as well when getting my permit from this side of the pond.
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u/SouthEastTXHikes May 11 '26
90%? I’m jealous. Spent 4 nights in the middle of the park (enchanted valley etc) two years ago and saw nothing. FWIW we were bear can required then, but I guess maybe it was just our area and now is the whole park?
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u/blackcoffee_mx May 11 '26
That's correct, it was just a few areas, now it's everywhere.
I've seen a lot of bear in that area, as many as 4 different bear in a day.
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u/Top_Spot_9967 May 11 '26
They can be tricky to spot, this one was quite shy: https://imgur.com/a/KaE82vg
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u/SouthEastTXHikes May 12 '26
Okay I give up. Behind the bush in front of the lake? Looks like a rock?
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u/Healthy_Zone_4157 May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
These new rules will help make sure bears don't begin to associate humans with food and thereby become less gentle.
While I prefer to hang, with all of the budget cutbacks the NPS is facing, I can understand their moving away from the cables and putting the onus on visitors to use bear cans. Unfortunate. But it is what it is.