Bear Canisters Are Now Required in Parts of the Trinity Alps Wilderness

With hiking season ramping up in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, Shasta-Trinity National Forest officials are urging visitors to take bear safety seriously before hitting the trail.

Bear canisters are now required in certain high-traffic areas of the wilderness, including Canyon Creek and Swift Creek. In all other areas of the Trinity Alps, visitors must still use bear-proof food storage systems. The requirements are meant to prevent bears from becoming habituated to human food, which leads to aggressive behavior and dangerous encounters.

Forest staff say night-vision camera footage has confirmed consistent bear activity throughout the wilderness, and the problem gets worse when backpackers hang food from trees or leave it in soft containers that bears can easily tear into. Once a bear learns that hikers carry food, it becomes a repeated visitor to those same campsites.

The Trinity Alps Wilderness is the second-largest wilderness area in California, covering more than 500,000 acres with over 600 miles of trails. Granite peaks, alpine lakes and deep canyons make it one of the most popular backcountry destinations in Northern California, but that popularity also increases the chances of wildlife conflicts if food storage is neglected.

Visitors need both a wilderness permit and a campfire permit for overnight trips. Groups are limited to 10 people. For current trail conditions, call the Weaverville Ranger Station at 530-623-2121.