Mt Whitney Zone Forums The Chat Room Is water safe to be stored in a car in bear country

I like this site since no question is ever a dumb question. I have a bear cannister and am planning on a series of day hikes out of Horseshoe Meadows and wanted to bring a very large container of water to refill my camelback, etc. Is this a dumb idea?
Thanks for not laughing.

First off it can't be in view of the bear. He'll think it looks like an ice chest and break in.

That means it has to be in the trunk.

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Has anyone ever heard of a bear smelling the plastic of something in the car and breaking in thinking it's an ice chest?
What does an ice chest smell like to a bear?

The container will definetly be well hidden but it seems as if animals can sense water so...

Any doubts from anyone and the container stays home.

Bears have 1000 times better sense of smell than humans -- If you have seen diagrams of their noses vs humans' you can see why.

So if you hide water in the trunk vs food, they can smell the difference. They will leave the water alone. If you are really in doubt, just put the water container under the car or right at its front bumper -- somewhere where people will know it belongs to you. The animals will leave it alone.

...but I think there is a water supply at HM, so a large container wouldn't be necessary. I hope someone can confirm this.

What about storing the water container in one of the many bear boxes at HM? There are plenty at the TH and I have seen stuff stored in the boxes in the campgrounds. Leave a note of your expected return.

I was there last Sept, and there was water at the campgrounds.

There is a spigot next to the pit toilet near the kiosk.


Also there is a stream up the trail and down in the meadow.

Thanks folks.

Whatever you do...don't store your water in those 5-gallon Gatorade containers!


Bears like orange...

I thought the bears in the eastern Sierra had learned not to mess with anything orange . . .

I just choked on a gummi bear! LMAO!!!

I don't think the bruins will mess with water jugs, but I agree with just putting them outside the front of the car on the ground. I doubt they will be disturbed when you return each day.

I would also NOT drink the water from the creek in HM. Cattle are grazed there regularly. It's the only place above 10K in the Sierra that I wouldn't just dip and sip.

It is much better to store beer in the car than water. And quality matters -- good beers hold up better. Oh, and please leave your itinerary and license number with me -- I'll keep an eye on it for you.

See? Bears like Orange and MooseTracks like gummi bear cuz Moose likes orange, too!



Hope you are not traumatized, Laura