BARE Campsite

Black bears live in Pukaskwa, and are occasionally seen along the coast. Food lockers are available for overnight food and supply storage along the Coastal Hiking Trail. Take precautions and be prepared for an encounter with a black bear. For more information consult with Parks Canada staff.

This campground has a BARE Campsite program (PDF, 583 KB) in place. A special effort is being made by both park staff and campers to ensure that wildlife attractants are never left unattended at any sites in this campground. The BARE Campsite program is in place for your safety, and to help keep the wildlife in our national parks alive and wild.

How to keep a BARE Campsite

In the campground:

• Store all food and food-related items in a hard-sided vehicle/trailer/motor home or in the campground food storage lockers (not in a tent or tent- trailer) when not in use.
• Keep your stove and BBQ clean when not in use. Store them securely if you can.
• The policy applies whenever these items are not in use, at night while you are sleeping or when your site is unattended for any length of time.
• When away from your site, you may leave out your camping furniture (e.g. lawn chairs, lanterns, and tents).

In the backcountry:

• Store all food and food-related items (e.g. dishes, stoves, garbage) in bear-proof lockers, portable bear-resistant containers (e.g. blue barrels) or hang your packs securely.
• Store these items at night while you are sleeping and/or when your site is unattended for any length of time.
• When away from your site or at night when sleeping, you can leave out your non-food-related camping equipment (e.g. tents, clothing, and hiking gear)

Pets

Attention pet owners! Please keep pets on a leash at all times. Don’t leave pets unattended outside – especially at night. They can attract carnivores such as bears and wolves, and may be attacked.

If your campsite is not BARE...

Park staff will be patrolling the campground regularly to ensure that campers have not left anything out at their site that could attract wildlife.

If you come back to your site and items that you had left unattended are missing, look for a written notice left by park staff. It contains further instructions. Park staff patrol the backcountry and check campsites and food lockers regularly.

Campers who fail to comply with the requirements of the BARE Campsite program may have their camping permit cancelled, with no refund, and may be charged under the Canada National Parks Act and Regulations.

NEVER feed wildlife

Anything that has an odour or could be considered food may attract wildlife to your site.

Never leave ANY of these items unattended at your campsite:

• Coolers – full/empty
• Food – open/closed
• Garbage/wrappings
• Dirty dishes/pots
• Pet food/bowls
• Bottles/cans
• ANY item associated with food preparation.

We are the key to the long term survival of our wildlife

When people leave their food out, bears and other animals can lose their fear of humans. Once an animal gets used to human food, it becomes a risk to public safety and may have to be destroyed. By keeping a “bare” campsite, you are playing an important part in keeping Pukaskwa’s wildlife wild and visitors safe.

Sharing an ecosystem

You are camping within wildlife habitat.

Animals rely on every part of this landscape for their survival. Their travel routes, natural food sources, mating grounds and resting sites don’t necessarily stop at the campground boundary! This means you may encounter wildlife at any time.

Be aware of your surroundings, especially at dusk and dawn or in densely vegetated areas. Surprising a bear that is busy feeding on natural food such as berries can be very dangerous!

Wildlife viewing

Seeing wild animals in the park can be a thrilling and rewarding experience, but remember:

• All wild animals are potentially dangerous.
• Never approach or entice wildlife of any kind, regardless of size.
• Keep a safe viewing distance at all times.
• Please report all bear and wolf sightings to park staff as soon as possible.

Thank you! Your efforts in keeping a BARE campsite are appreciated by Parks Canada and your fellow campers. Please take what you have learned here to other campgrounds in the future – we can all help to keep each other safe and wildlife wild.