Bear-proof gear will be required at Needles District of Canyonlands

Mike K said:
Thanks for the updates ladies! (@pixie1339 and @Miss Buffalo )

I'm too cheap to buy one (or two). Maybe I'll call and see if they have them available to rent. (I sort of doubt it since I'm not seeing anything when I search for information).

Oh, @pixie1339 , I noticed an NPS alert that says: The Salt Creek / Horse Canyon 4WD Road in the Needles are currently impassable.
Apparently that didn't / doesn't affect getting into Salt Creek?
Click to expand...
That road is almost always closed. It's about a 3.5 mile hike out on the "road" from Peekaboo. The last time I did Salt Creek it was brutally deep sand for most of that stretch, but there was a lot more water in the canyon this time, so it made the hike much more pleasant.
 
pixie1339 said:
That road is almost always closed. It's about a 3.5 mile hike out on the "road" from Peekaboo. The last time I did Salt Creek it was brutally deep sand for most of that stretch, but there was a lot more water in the canyon this time, so it made the hike much more pleasant.
Click to expand...

Awesome, I didn't know that the road is typically closed and that it simply meant additional hiking. Thanks for the info.
 
As a side note, I did find some places online that rent. And I did notice that the newer Ursack 29 is IGBC approved. Although I'm not sure if you're required (or if it's a good idea) to use the aluminum liner and/or OPSak. Anyone know? The price and weight seem better than the canisters.
 
Mike K said:
Thanks for the updates ladies! (@pixie1339 and @Miss Buffalo )

I'm too cheap to buy one (or two). Maybe I'll call and see if they have them available to rent. (I sort of doubt it since I'm not seeing anything when I search for information).

Oh, @pixie1339 , I noticed an NPS alert that says: The Salt Creek / Horse Canyon 4WD Road in the Needles are currently impassable.
Apparently that didn't / doesn't affect getting into Salt Creek?
Click to expand...

we're not hiking out on that road, it's an awful sand trap and awful hike. I did it 2 years ago and hated every second of it because of the sand.
We take the more scenic route via Peekaboo trail to Squaw Flat campground. It's primarily slickrock
 
Mike K said:
Did you ever find out about rentals?
Click to expand...

when I picked up my permit, I also asked about canister rentals.
They do have bear canisters to rent at the Visitor Center, but I forgot to ask how muchthey were, because I had my own canister.
The Visitor Center does only have the Bear Vault BV 450, which work fine for a single person.
The ranger on duty seemed a bit overwhelmed about my question with the Ursack, therefore no update on that one.
 
Miss Buffalo said:
when I picked up my permit, I also asked about canister rentals.
They do have bear canisters to rent at the Visitor Center, but I forgot to ask how muchthey were, because I had my own canister.
The Visitor Center does only have the Bear Vault BV 450, which work fine for a single person.
The ranger on duty seemed a bit overwhelmed about my question with the Ursack, therefore no update on that one.
Click to expand...
I talked to a backcountry ranger in the Tetons who said that, although the new Ursack wasn't technnically approved for the Tetons at that time, if he saw somebody using one properly, he wouldn't ticket them. YMMV.
 
We plan on hiking Salt Creek this June and we asked the NPS about the bear canisters. That`s what they answered:
[Your bear canister must be hard-shelled. NPS does not rent any out. You may purchase them from Gearheads in the town of Moab by the City Market. /QUOTE]
Click to expand...

Since we are from Germany and we want to limit our baggage does anyone know if there´s any possibility to rent one for the duration of our trip? We are flighing into Vegas and approach Canyonlands NP from the south via Monticello.

Thanks for your help!

Dirkules
 
Last edited:
FWIW, our opinion of the bear cannisters has changed over time. I hated them at first; it is difficult to pack a backpack 'properly' with those suckers and I had to revamp my whole packing system/routine.

But eventually we grew to like 'em (my wife was 'converted' long before I was), and we even started using them in the Appalachian wildernesses where good hangable trees are everywhere. They do make a rather convenient breakfast/dinner stool to sit on, especially when the ground is wet & /or muddy. And of course, at altitudes where good hanging-trees are few and far between (or non-existent entirely)...

The downside for us, is my wife no longer gets to enjoy watching the entertaining [to her] Keystone Cops snafu reenactments while I'm throwing the ropes.... :facepalm: Yeah, I am not going to miss that.:mad:

I'm still a bit perturbed / frustrated by the way it messes up my pre-packing routine before breakfast. And we can only fit 6 days of my food into one container (higher caloric needs; my wife can get 7 days into hers) so if we're on a trek that is 7-8 days or more, we still have to hang a drybag - which means we are limited to no more than 6 day routes in places that require them.

But all in all, I don't hate 'em like I used to. :cool:
 
And we can only fit 6 days of my food into one container (higher caloric needs; my wife can get 7 days into hers) so if we're on a trek that is 7-8 days or more, we still have to hang a drybag - which means we are limited to no more than 6 day routes in places that require them.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your insight!

Which container are you using? I´m guessing the bear vault BV450?!
Speaking of your experience, do you think it might be possible to fit food good for 4 days for 2 people into one?

We are considering renting one online and get it shipped to a motel nearby. Unfortunally neither REI in Vegas nor the NPS are offering that service...
 
Last edited:
@Dirkules , we're both using the black opaque Garcia 'Backpackers Cache' that some National Parks (Olympic & Tetons) rent out. It's about 610 cubic inches; a couple of my buddies use the blue transparent Bear Vault 500, and they like it. The Garcia weighs more, and if you're one of those who tries to cut every surplus ounce here & there, its heavier weight is a consideration.

You might fit 2x4days of food into one container (maybe not the BV450 though), depending on how much you eat and how efficiently dense the foods you choose are. I have high caloric needs because of my metabolism, my buddies who backpack with me bring less food than I do even though they are bigger dudes than I am. (Like I said, on the same trip, a BV500 works for them when I'm barely cutting it with 610 cubic inches.)

Many of the freeze-dried meals you buy can be repackaged with a vacuum-sealer to take up less space; you can pre-crush them a bit more too to make them more condensed. We use finely ground oatmeal for breakfast, and those vacuum sealed packs can be manipulated to fit into gaps, so that we have as little 'dead-air' space in the containers. Believe me, when we're packed, they are packed TIGHT. If you are going to use containers regularly for long trips, I think it is worth practicing packing food to get your system down pat. We also make our own pemmican that is quite malleable (in vacuum-sealed envelopes obviously), and have those shaped to fit gaps too.

Remember, you first day's lunch & on-trail snacks -- dinner too -- probably don't need to be in the container when you start out, so you save that space. That's food that will be eaten and gone before you 'use' the container for your first overnight. That helps. (But remember to save enough room for the garbage that could smell from the first day.)

Good luck! Hope it works out for you!
 
Maybe Zion outdoors in springdale (Zion) rents. Backpacking store in Moab or St george maybe rents.
 
Bear proof storage requirements inform where the people are and where I don't want to be.
 
I was did Salt Creek as a point to point Oct 2015. Saw 6 people in 4 days. Lots of Bear scat. Only wished I had more time.
 
All of the former ammo cans in Salt Creek were removed in 2015. https://www.nps.gov/cany/learn/news/news03142014.htm
The Needles Visitor center has a few bear canisters that were purchased via a grant for employees and to help make people compliant that show up without them. Because of the limited number of bear cans they have I would recommend showing up with your own. Canyon Voyages in Moab rents them for cheap. The reason Canyonlands doesn't want URSAC is because the short trees or no trees at all make the Ursac ineffective.
Just call the Canyonlands National Park Backcountry Office, they have all the info 435-259-4351
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top