Bear cable / bear pole
Overview
Bear cables and bear poles are fixed installations at some backcountry sites that allow hikers to suspend food and scented items using provided infrastructure rather than improvised tree hangs.
Key points
- Bear cables generally consist of overhead lines with hooks or loops for hanging bags.
- Bear poles are vertical structures equipped with hooks accessed by a provided device or pole.
- Availability and design vary by area, and use is typically guided by posted instructions or local practice.
Details
In certain backcountry campgrounds and sites, land managers install permanent structures to facilitate food storage. Bear cables are overhead systems where users attach their bags and then raise them; bear poles are vertical posts with hooks at the top used similarly. These systems aim to provide a consistent, site-specific way for visitors to store food off the ground and away from sleeping areas. While they are intended to reduce wildlife access compared with ad hoc methods, details of their use, limitations, and maintenance are managed locally. The glossary entry simply identifies these common types of infrastructure.
Related topics
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Illustrative hiking footage
The following external videos offer general visual context for typical hiking environments. They are not official route recommendations, safety instructions, or planning tools.