Sequoia NP & Bears

[Albort]

So my family and I are gonna make a trip to Sequoia national park, the last time i went there, we had to hide our food in the boxes provided by the park or tie them up in the tree.

Question is, if were just gonna go for like an 1-2 hour hike, Is it okay to store food in the car?

Any other suggestions on where to go in Sequoia? like must sees. I picked out a few but most of them are short, not long walks...

 

[skiingfast]

It's nice to see you post again.

Yes you can leave food in cars or other hard sided vehicles like RVs. If you are taking food on the trail with you, do not set you rbag down for even a minute while walking away from it. Keep your bag with you at all times.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hi Albert,

I just got back from a week of camping in Sequoia. It's changed a bit so that you cannot drive to Moro Rock or Crescent Meadow, but have to take a shuttle to those places. There are a lot more tourists there during the summer than there were a couple of years ago.

In regard to leaving your food in your car, there is a lot of bear activity there, and do you really want to chance a bear breaking into your car? We were camping at Lodgepole, and there was a mother bear with two cubs seen during the daytime around camp. If you can, put your food in one of the extra bear boxes that they have around. If not, then be sure to put your food in the trunk where the bears cannot see your coolers, etc. We woke up one day and there were bear paw prints on our windows, so they DO look in the cars... Just a word of caution, so take it for what it's worth.

As for hiking, there are some nice trails. At Lodgepole, there is a mild 1.7 trail to Tokopah Falls. Although the falls are not spectacular, it's one of my favorite trails because of the scenery you pass through. When you come back you can enjoy one of the water holes in the stream that goes through the campground.

Crescent Meadow also has a beautiful hike/walk around that meadow. You can also take a little trail that will take you to a spot where you have a good view of Moro Rock. Here's a link with a paragraph about it - I think it's called Bobcat Trail, and is part of the beginning of the High Sierra Trail. http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/trails/crescentmeadow.html

http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/crescent-meadow-sequoia/

I really love the Crescent Meadow/Moro Rock area.

Other trails would be to Little Baldy or Big Baldy.

Where will you be spending the night, in the park or down below?

Have fun & let us know how it went.

 

[Albort]

Planning on driving there in the morning, staying a night at three rivers(comfort Inn) and back to Sequoia for another day before driving to SF. I thought about buying a long rope and bag to tie to a tree but i heard that doesnt work anymore...

So i guess we need to spend extra time to take the shuttle huh? Do u have any info where i can look up those information?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I passed by that Comfort Inn, so I know exactly what you're talking about. Are you going to take the 65, or go on the 99 to the 198? I took the 65, and I think it shaved off a good half hour.

From what I understand, the shuttle is used from 8am to 4pm, so if you go outside those times you can get to the Crescent Meadow area in your car. We didn't try it, though. The shuttle runs throughout the day.

There is a big parking lot in Giant Forest by the museum, so you can either park there or in the Lodgepole area. If you park in the Lodgepole area, you can use the extra bear box to put your food in.

If you park in the museum area parking lot there are a lot of cars there, so you might be okay leaving food in your car.

You will get a schedule when you enter the park. You can also stop at the Foothills Visitor Center to get some good advice on hiking trails and what to do about food during the day.

If you're going to be there overnight, you might consider going to Hume Lake for a picnic. We always go there. In 2009, we went to Yosemite, and on the way home drove through Sequoia. We spent a couple of hours and Hume Lake, and then visited Giant Forest General Sherman and Crescent Meadow - that was a highlight for my cousins visiting from Spain.

 

[skiingfast]

Bears do not try to get into cars to get food. It's extremely uncommon. The reason is bears are very smart animals, they know what they can and can't do, and don't waste time in fruitless efforts.

You will notice that the bear boxes are not covered in scratches with 5 claw marks and paw dents. Your car won't be either.

 

[Albort]

I passed by that Comfort Inn, so I know exactly what you're talking about. Are you going to take the 65, or go on the 99 to the 198? I took the 65, and I think it shaved off a good half hour.

From what I understand, the shuttle is used from 8am to 4pm, so if you go outside those times you can get to the Crescent Meadow area in your car. We didn't try it, though. The shuttle runs throughout the day.

There is a big parking lot in Giant Forest by the museum, so you can either park there or in the Lodgepole area. If you park in the Lodgepole area, you can use the extra bear box to put your food in.

If you park in the museum area parking lot there are a lot of cars there, so you might be okay leaving food in your car.

You will get a schedule when you enter the park. You can also stop at the Foothills Visitor Center to get some good advice on hiking trails and what to do about food during the day.

If you're going to be there overnight, you might consider going to Hume Lake for a picnic. We always go there. In 2009, we went to Yosemite, and on the way home drove through Sequoia. We spent a couple of hours and Hume Lake, and then visited Giant Forest General Sherman and Crescent Meadow - that was a highlight for my cousins visiting from Spain.

Would u happen to know which trail will take us to the Giant Forest General Sherman? Thank you for your input, it definately will help me plan this trip out... i found this nice guide of all the place to go --> http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/driveviewsum.htm

Bears do not try to get into cars to get food. It's extremely uncommon. The reason is bears are very smart animals, they know what they can and can't do, and don't waste time in fruitless efforts.

You will notice that the bear boxes are not covered in scratches with 5 claw marks and paw dents. Your car won't be either.

I think at the end, were just gonna play it safe and not take food with us. Or leave the food at the hotel before we enter in. Ill def call the parks beforehand to see what the recommend. Thanks for your input.

 

[skiingfast]

Would u happen to know which trail will take us to the Giant Forest General Sherman? Thank you for your input, it definately will help me plan this trip out... i found this nice guide of all the place to go --> http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/driveviewsum.htm

General Sherman is just a short walk from the parking area maybe 1/4 mile, you walk down to it and back up to your car. I don't think it's on part of a longer trail.


It's on this map. In the rectangle about a third up from the bottom in the center.
http://www.nps.gov/common/commonspo...lphacode=seki&parkname=Sequoia & Kings Canyon

 

[rpbert1]

when we stayed 2 julys ago, the advice was not to leave food in cars, but use the bear boxes. we seen quite a few bears esp around our camp area, 1 even checked out the toilets.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Bears do not try to get into cars to get food. It's extremely uncommon. The reason is bears are very smart animals, they know what they can and can't do, and don't waste time in fruitless efforts.

You will notice that the bear boxes are not covered in scratches with 5 claw marks and paw dents. Your car won't be either.

Yosemite and Sequioa are probably different than what you are used to. Bears do break into cars and investigate places where they can get food. They know they cannot get into bear boxes, but they will check them out as evidenced by the time one got into a bear box that was not properly latched. It got into the food at midnight and I had to wake my neighbors so they could help me chase it away.

It would be highly negligent for anyone to disregard the many warnings that specifically say not to leave food in your car.

You are just going to have to trust those of us who know what we are talking about this time around.

Have a great time, Albert.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Albort]

Yosemite and Sequioa are probably different than what you are used to. Bears do break into cars and investigate places where they can get food. They know they cannot get into bear boxes, but they will check them out as evidenced by the time one got into a bear box that was not properly latched. It got into the food at midnight and I had to wake my neighbors so they could help me chase it away.

It would be highly negligent for anyone to disregard the many warnings that specifically say not to leave food in your car.

You are just going to have to trust those of us who know what we are talking about this time around.

Have a great time, Albert.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

yeah, i was thinking better safe than sorry. Probably keep the cooler at the hotel for the first night, and figure things out on the 2nd day. I do wonder if like every parking lots have a bear food holder. Or if i should tie food on top of a tree.
I added Crescent meadow to our trip. :] Wished there was a nice iOS app that gives intro to places... had one for Bryce Canyon and it was amazing program!!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I don't know of anyone who ties their food to the trees for short hikes. You might call the visitor center and ask if they have bear boxes in the Giant Forest Museum parking lot (Phone: 559-565-4212).

As for the General Sherman, there is a parking area and then you walk .4 mile downhill to the tree. From there you can continue on and take the Congress Trail. You hike back uphill to the parking lot (this is changed from the parking lot that used to be used - this is driving up towards Wolverton and then turning off to the parking lot).

My favorite "hikes" are to Tokopah Falls and the Crescent Meadow area. I've also gone on some of the walks near Moro Rock, and my kids and I saw Pika there. There is a good chance you will see marmots on the Tokopah Falls trail. We see them everytime we go up there.

Also, on your way out, you might want to stop at Hume Lake for a picnic, then continue to the 180 to leave the park on your way to San Francisco.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

More bear information. It's always better to be prepared.

Sequoia requires that you store food properly so bears cannot get to it. Also, they've figured how to get food that is hanging from the trees, so that is now a last-option when there is no other way.

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/bear_bc.htm

http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/topcalifornia/a/bears.htm

Cars: Never leave food or scented items inside at night. Infant seats and child seats smell like food (and so do some cosmetics and sunscreens - think peppermint lotion or banana-scented suntan oil) and will attract the bears. So will canned drinks, baby wipes and empty food wrappers. Don't forget to check the glove box and center console. If you've got a minivan, be especially careful - in 2009, the U.S. Agriculture Department's Wildlife Service reported that bears break into them more than any other type of vehicle.

Hiking or Backpacking: Bears can defeat any attempt to hang your food in a tree. Instead, store it in portable canisters. They weigh less than three pounds and will hold enough food for up to 5 days. If you don't have one, you can buy or rent them at some park visitor centers.

 

[Albort]

mmhhmm, overnight vs 2 hours... haha, still risky. We plan to carry minimal food with us... But plenty of water!

I got a high powered BB gun, thinkin of bring it. I think im crazy...

 

[DisneytheKid]

Bears do not try to get into cars to get food. It's extremely uncommon. The reason is bears are very smart animals, they know what they can and can't do, and don't waste time in fruitless efforts.

You will notice that the bear boxes are not covered in scratches with 5 claw marks and paw dents. Your car won't be either.

Interesting

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Interesting

Interesting, but incorrect as far as Yosemite & Sequoia are concerned.

To not store food properly in these places would be blatantly ignoring the warnings that you see all over these parks.

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/bears.htm

http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/topcalifornia/a/bears.htm

Cars: Never leave food or scented items inside at night. Infant seats and child seats smell like food (and so do some cosmetics and sunscreens - think peppermint lotion or banana-scented suntan oil) and will attract the bears. So will canned drinks, baby wipes and empty food wrappers. Don't forget to check the glove box and center console. If you've got a minivan, be especially careful - in 2009, the U.S. Agriculture Department's Wildlife Service reported that bears break into them more than any other type of vehicle.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Bears do not try to get into cars to get food. It's extremely uncommon. The reason is bears are very smart animals, they know what they can and can't do, and don't waste time in fruitless efforts.

You will notice that the bear boxes are not covered in scratches with 5 claw marks and paw dents. Your car won't be either.

Just saying . . . may be rare, but why chance it?

 

[skiingfast]

Just saying . . . may be rare, but why chance it?

Don't get out of bed, you could trip, hit your head and die. Why chance it?

 

[usnuzuloose]

We were up at Yosemite earlier this year, one of the rangers commented that one of the employees bought a brand new car, and in the trunk there was a scent, but it wasn't food, totally trashed his car.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I wonder if insurance covers this kind of damage. Usually when we rent a car, we know our own car insurance covers rentals but is there 'bear insurance'? I don't want to be stuck.

I'm guessing minivans are targeted the most because kids are messy and leave food that has fallen on the floor. Even if the parents are cautious and remove all the bags from the car.