Backcountry Food Storage

• Aggressive rodents, living off the careless food storage habits of backpackers, river runners, and people accessing the backcountry with their vehicles have overrun popular backcountry campsites— especially along the White Rim Road.

• Ravens, attracted to food wrappers and plastic, pilfer backpacks and any exposed trash in vehicles.

The notion that critters may be lurking in the backcountry waiting to steal their food irritates some visitors to Canyonlands. Remember, you are a guest in their habitat. For your safety, the welfare of the wildlife, and the safekeeping of your equipment, you must make your food supply—a foreign substance in the backcountry—as undetectable and unobtainable as possible.

Your actions can put future people at risk of food pilfering, since animals regularly revisit areas where they easily obtained food, like campsites along the White Rim Road. At worst, your behavior may lead directly to the death of a wild animal. These guidelines are meant to protect people, equipment, and the wildlife.

Food Storage