r/GeorgiaCampAndHike • u/RayIs0kay • 20d ago

Question Bear Boxes?

I’m looking to come back to Cloudland canyon, black rock mountain, or Vogel state park in the early or late spring (March or late May). The walk in sites are the right kind of camping for me… however, I’m concerned about bear activity! Do the walk in sites at any of these parks have bear boxes? Is it a pain to take scented items/cookware/food to and from the site?

Aside from that, I’ve been to Cloudland and black rock mtn in the fall, but never in the spring and I’ve never been to Vogel. Is March or May a better time to camp in any of those spots, and any that is particularly worth visiting that time of year? I’ve only done limited hiking in the two I’ve seen, so there’s plenty more for me to explore.

Thanks all.

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6

u/Wraith007 20d ago

Did a trip to black Rock mountain this last 4th of July and all the walk in sites had robust large volume bear boxes. The walk in was a bit annoying with red clay wash outs and poison ivy everywhere. Had a great time despite these set backs.

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u/RayIs0kay 20d ago

Fantastic! I stayed in a regular pad site many years ago, only walked down to peak at the walk in sites and I couldn’t remember… sad to hear about washouts and poison ivy! Last time I was up there it was November so pretty dry and most green things were dead. Thanks for the info!

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u/fanboy44 20d ago

My understanding is Cloudland doesn't have bear activity because of the canyon. Vogel, Blackrock etc have a lot of bear activity

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u/unoriginalusernameha 19d ago

Yes, that is what the ranger at Cloudland Canyon told us too when we camped their last. Didn’t need to worry about bears, just raccoons. No bear boxes at the walk in sites in Cloudland Canyon. But there are large bear boxes in the walk ins at Black Rock (and more bear activity). Unsure about Vogel.

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u/lorilr 19d ago

No bear boxes at Vogel. No cables. My recent stay there showed me that I didn't have to worry as every other campsite was much more appealing to the bear than mine.

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u/RayIs0kay 19d ago

LOL! It’s a sad trend I’ve seen… the last time I camped at black rock mountain, our campsite neighbors were using the lantern pole to hold their trash bag…. Alllll night long… after we’d all been handed a pamphlet about bear activity. Hah.

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u/GangstaMuffin24 19d ago

I was at Vogel a year ago and did not see a bear box at the walkin sites.

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u/fanboy44 19d ago

I've spent a lot of time on the AT in Georgia and can attest there are times that the Blood Mountain Wilderness area, adjacent to Vogel, has a no camping policy without a bear canister

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u/RayIs0kay 19d ago

Oh interesting! I did not know that. That makes me feel a little better about the lack of bear boxes there.

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u/Stories-With-Bears 20d ago edited 20d ago

They do not have bear boxes. I’ve never seen a bear at Cloudland or Vogel (but I know Vogel gets bear activity). Black Rock Mountain, I actually abandoned a trip because of a bear that wasn’t as scared of me as I wanted him to be. Follow regular safety guidelines like tying things up 100ft from your campsite, don’t brush your teeth right outside your tent, etc.

Regarding timeline, I prefer cooler weather so I’d say March! Should be nice in the day, but good campfire weather at night. By May, it could already be too hot. I can’t think of anything in any of the parks that would make one month better than the other besides that

Edit: I stand corrected, sounds like BRM has bear boxes now!

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u/RayIs0kay 20d ago

Lol love your username. Thank you for the info. I like to bring a big cooler that fits nicely in the bear boxes I’ve encountered in my Florida state parks 🤗. I’m not sure how bear-ish the area is in general, so I’d rather play it safe. I think the cooler weather would be more appealing, too. Though most places feel “cool” compared to Florida summers, hah! Thanks again!

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u/x22for22x 13d ago

I’m sorry I do not have an answer to the question, but seems like it’s been answered.

And now I am stressed about my upcoming solo trip to black rock 😂 I did read it’s bear country but, reading people confirming it feels different than just reading it on google ahaha.

This is fine.

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u/RayIs0kay 13d ago

Just be bear smart!! When I camped and had neighbors using the lantern pole as their garbage storage we had no bears try to come get any snacks. I just prefer not having to hoof my food and smelly stuff very far if I’m in a walk in site. I pack a big cooler so there’s no hanging it in a tree lol