Bear canisters in AZ?

[Margaret Snyder]

Does anyone know if you are required to have a canister in the higher Santa Catalinas, near Tucson? There are bears up there, but I cant find any official documentation about safety requirements. Ive seen people up there with canisters.

Margaret

[Andrew Richard]

that I know of you are not required to have a canister anywhere in AZ. bear baggin is encouraged in concentrated areas, but there are not many bears in Mt. Lemmon area. Mazatzals and Four Peaks is another story…

[Neil Bender]

Bears in the Santa Catalinas are few and far between. If you camp near the top of the mountain near Summerhaven and campgrounds near the road, a bear habituated to garbage prowling could come around. Where were you planning on hiking/camping?

Skunks and rodents can be a problem anywhere in SE Arizona. Bear bagging works well where there are trees.

I'd call the Summit Hut in Tucson and ask what current conditions are. It's been in drought so animals may be ranging farther than normal and creating incidents. I was there in April when it was wet, and not a single incident in 3 days walking from Summerhaven, through the Wilderness of Rocks, over Romero Pass to Hutches Pool, and exiting Bear Canyon.

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