Sleeping Under Stars in Glacier National Park

[joe black]

Ok – I know you are supposed to sleep in designated campsites – but what thoughts do folks have on sleeping in the very very high alpine under the stars – in the event of high pressure, i am inclinded to leave the tent at home – lighten up the packs – and sleep high up on a pass – and have an epic view of the stars….

So what is the bear risk of such? Do the grizzley's travel to the top of the ridges and such? Should we be so concerned about bears that we this is not advisable? I have done it before, but looking for other thoughts to ascertain the wisdom in such…

thanks

[Bob Gross]

Joe, you might want to read up on Glacier National Park's backcountry policies and procedures.

–B.G.–

[joe black]

yes, i know the policies and procedures…. but sometimes we keep walking… and need a place to rest for a bit until sun rise….

[Brian Austin]

Not to put to fine of a point on it, but if you believe a nylon tent will protect you at all from a rampaging grizzly… Scratches head, is this comment for real? Bears have 4 knife blades on their paws that make quick work of thin steel containers, big logs, and giant rock piles.

Bears leave you alone if you leave them alone.

Sleep High! Yes! Better view of the stars as well the higher you go as the atmosphere is thinner. Better yet, skip the pass and keep climbing the adjacent ridge/mountain till on top.

Yes, Bears go high and cross passes/glaciers/snowfields. Not as high as Mountain goats/big horn sheep but high. You are far more likely to find them around the "designated" campsites than up high though as there is far more bear food down there.

[Mark Ries]

I think its pretty well documented that a tent is a psychological barrier to most bears yes they can rip in easily but its something most bears dont understand. That is till they investigate cause they smell food then learn that tents may contain presents. Unless you get an off trail back country permit you are stuck camping in the designated areas or breaking the rules. And a person that has the experience and knowledge to get such permit would not have to ask questions about such matters on this forum. Sorry if my 2 cents offended anyone. Hope you have a wonderful experience its a beautiful park

[larry savage]

Get a porta-ledge, BPL has one in their store made from carbon fiber impregnated cuben cloth with ariel pixie tie downs and a hamster tail down quilt insulator.
You don't find too many Glacier bears on top of the peaks but you do find lightning, wind, snow, and a few glaciers here and there.

[Dustin Short]

I know in Yellowstone in late summer the grizzlies move above tree line to eat calorie dense moth caterpillars, not sure if the same behavior occurs in GNP.

The bigger concern is that the backcountry rules exist for a reason. Remember the NPS and especially teh NFS are all about making the wilderness as accessible to anything as possible (ie motorize vehicles). The reason they don't even let you camp willy nilly in the alpine zones is because the ecosystem is so fragile. It may take decades for the alpine plants to recover from a poorly thought out campsite, considerably longer for fire scars to disappear. It's simply not a responsible practice in highly visited regions, like all of our National Parks.

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