Crazy Mountain food storage order in effect to help keep Forest visitors safe
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, Mont. – April 17, 2025—To help keep public land visitors safe, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has updated a forest order that requires the proper storage of food and garbage/waste in the Crazy Mountains. The newly signed forest order is in effect year-round and requires all food and garbage that is not personally attended to be stored in an approved bear resistant container.
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is home to both black and grizzly bears and provides important habitats for bears covering two distinct ecosystems: the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
While each ecosystem has its own food storage order, the food storage guidance is largely the same across the forest, requiring any smelly item (toothpaste, marshmallows, dog food, garbage, etc.) to be stored in a vehicle, hard-sided camper, hung at least ten feet off the ground in a tree (see diagram below), or stored in an approved bear resistant container.
Visit: Visitor's Guide to Storing Food & Attractants in Bear Country to view a brochure that contains additional guidance for storing food on the Forest. Visit our website and click, “alerts,” to view the food storage orders. Please call the local district offices for more information.
Diagram of how to hang food and/or garbage while out on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
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