Bear Safety Tips for the White Mountain National Forest

Campton, NH July 1, 2025 — For enhanced public safety, you can take precautions to minimize negative interactions with bears. White Mountain National Forest staff are receiving an increasing number of reports about food-conditioned bears interacting with hikers and campers within, and around the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The popular area, located near Lincoln, NH, is a federally designated Wilderness Area. Bears have been known to visit shelters and tent platforms, and have destroyed tents and backpacks as they look for easy meals. 

Whether you’re planning a camping trip, or a hike, remember you are recreating in a forested environment and it is important to store food properly. Although many visitors and campers never encounter a bear, the forest is their home and bears can quickly become habituated to human food.

Follow these guidelines to help prevent an unwanted encounter:

• Store food properly – keep food, garbage, coolers, pet food, canned or bottled beverages in a closed and locked vehicle or bear container.
• Do not feed bears (intentional or unintentional); it is prohibited.
• For multi-day backpacking trips – visitors are encouraged to store all food in a bear canister overnight.
  • You can borrow a bear canister to use during your visit at no charge from one of the White Mountain NF offices; available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Established tent sites have bear boxes that when closed properly, are proven bear- proof storage containers.