Bear Boxes in the Sierra Nevada

Updated 21 June 2008 - This list should be accurate, but don't trust your life to it!


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Help us all develop and maintain this as a useful Web resource!

Some of these bear boxes (aka 'food storage lockers') are not on the park service info sheets. Please send me text descriptions of how to find these or other food lockers, GPS coordinates (include datum!) or marked maps with updates, additions, and corrections. If you don't have details, even HINTS are welcome.

If you have the Topo! software from Wildflower, send me a .tpo or .tpg file, or better yet export the waypoints and email me the text file. If you ask, I'll email you .tpo files or tiny GIF files with scanned topo fragments so you can mark the location and email them back to me. If you follow the links below down to the box details, you will see JPEG maps where I've marked the locations. NEW FOR 2007: From each regional or box detail page, you can view that region overlaid with roads and trails on satellite images or maps using Google Maps (web application) or Google Earth (must download and install).

I ESPECIALLY want to know if there are errors!


BEAR BOXES: TABLE OF CONTENTS:

click here to view regions


INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Those boxes which have been field-checked by Climber.Org contributors are indicated by waypoints starting with "BB". Unverified boxes have waypoints starting with "XX", and the GPS coordinates associated with them range from a good guess to throwing a dart at a map - I read the ranger's description of where they are, and extracted a coordinate from the map. If you are going to a place with an unverified box, please take notes and update this file!

Waypoint data is shown in Waypoint+ format - copy and paste into a local text file, then read it into Waypoint+ or TOPO!GPS. Note that both NAD27 and NAD83 data are provided, and both latitude/longitude and UTM coordinates are available. If you don't understand these acronyms, please click here for a UTM and LAT/LON coordinate explanation from the Sierra Peaks List page.

The amount of error between the datum used for drawing most UGSG maps (NAD27) and the datum used by GPS satellites (WGS84 is essentially the same as NAD83) varies with location. Authoritative details of how to convert between NAD27 and NAD83, including charts of how much difference there is between them as a function of location, can be found on the US National Geodetic Survey's NADCON page.

Even if you don't have a GPS receiver, use the waypoints in the regional box listings to find box locations on paper maps or your favorite mapping software. All users of TOPO version 2.0 and later (even without the TOPO!GPS upgrade) can open the 'TPG' file in any region, sort by distance from the anchor point, and jump to any waypoint by clicking in the list (see regional listings for links to these binary waypoint files). Files on Climber.Org are more up-to-date, but you can also visit the TOPO Trails home page to retrieve .tpo and .tpg files for all three of their CDROMs covered by this list of peaks (Sequoia, Yosemite, plus a complete file for the USA CD). Bookmarks help you find them before or after you overlay the regions with GPS coordinates to locate the boxes.


REVISION HISTORY AND CONTRIBUTOR CREDITS

Maintained by Steve Eckert.

DATEREVISION HISTORY
21 Jun 08 new boxes in Mineral King region, renumbered existing boxes
25 May 08 Removed TopoZone links, that site now charges a fee to view maps! (replaced with Google Maps, which now have topo data)
3 Dec 07 Rae Lakes update from Steve Eckert
14 Nov 07 Kern Canyon updates from Jeffrey Zimmerman
28 Jan 07 reformatted pages including ability to view data in Google Maps, with lots of help and some prodding from Craig Stanton
27 Jan 07 switch from interactive CGI script to generated static HTML files for better speed, lower server load
23 Jan 07 new Tuolumne Backpackers box, GPS coords and descriptions from Kevin Freer
22 Sep 06 Curry Backpacker Campground GPS coords and descriptions from Kevin Freer
22 Sep 06 BA and HS and KC - GPS coords and descriptions from Mark Sapiro
15 Aug 06 add Agnew Meadows in Ansel Adams Wilderness, from George Barnes
1 Apr 06 rename Minaret Wilderness (MW) to Ansel Adams Wilderness (AA)
28 Mar 06 use restrictions on Rae Lakes boxes, from Peter Stephens
4 Jan 06 fixed Reds Meadow and added north Lake Edison box, GPS coords from Robert Miller
25 Nov 05 per-box maps in addition to regional maps, always show regional maps, rename CK to KA and add Onion Valley
21 Sep 05 added Horseshoe Meadow region
26 Aug 05 entirely new click and region maps are higher resolution AND faster to download
24 Aug 05 renamed and split regions, added Rock Creek North and finished Courtright Reservoir
4 Aug 05 checked coords for box on Copper Creek / Tent Mdw
14 Oct 04 the last unverified Woods Creek box - got GPS coords from Roy Holsinger
14 Oct 04 new locations near Mountain Home (Dillonwood and South Fork) from Steve Eckert
14 Sep 04 new locations in Yosemite East from Steve Eckert
18 Jul 04 major update of Cedar Grove and Woods Creek regions from Steve Eckert
7 Jul 04 'grigsby' pointed out CG and CK data were swapped, maps were inconsistent with labels
3 Sep 03 Sugarloaf updates, new Edison Lake and Courtright Reservoir regions from Steve Eckert
2 Sep 03 Rock Creek update from Arturo Crespo, Yosemite cable notes from Kim Fishburn
6 Nov 02 cleaned up High Sierra Trail - all boxes now have GPS coords
9 Sep 02 Yosemite split into 3 regions, renamed other regions, moved boxes between regions
9 Sep 02 Yosemite updates from Steve Eckert, High Sierra Trail updates from Gary Craig
7 Aug 02 Big Five Lake and Lost Canyon updates from Arturo Crespo and Anne Hartman
18 Jul 02 field check updates for Kearsarge Lakes and Bubbs Creek, from Gary Craig
13 Jul 02 lots of field check updates for Sugarloaf and Lodgepole, from Steve Eckert
2 Oct 01 new Mineral King boxes, update Franklin Lake locations, from Steve Eckert
26 Sep 01 note that Columbine Lake box has been removed, from Anne Hartman
24 Sep 01 coords and description for Crabtree and Rock Creek, from Scott Sullivan
20 Sep 01 add South Lake boxes, entirely new region, from Steve Eckert
30 Aug 01 coords and description for Lower Soldier Lake, from Rick Booth
30 Aug 01 correct NineMile Creek, Pinto Lake, and Hamilton Lake, from Paul Buehler
5 Aug 01 add Big Pine Creek boxes, entirely new region, from Steve Eckert
5 Aug 01 update Curry Village area boxes, from Steve Eckert
22 Jun 01 update Pinto Lake box, from Paul Buehler
20 Jun 01 major update after field checking all Hockett Plateau boxes, from Steve Eckert
17 Mar 01 new file locations, show table and waypoint data on same page
10 Feb 01 updated many descriptions from Michael Golden
10 Feb 01 updated Sugarloaf/Comanche from Joe Leal
10 Feb 01 updated Glen Aulin from Peter Labarba
21 Sep 00 update all Hwy 120 boxes with real GPS coords and box counts, from Steve Eckert
14 Aug 00 major updates to Woods Creek (Rae Lakes), including a new box, from Laura Civiello
14 Aug 00 major updates to Tyndall/Crabtree, Kern Canyon, and Mineral King, from Kit Groves
14 Aug 00 new boxes in Minaret Wilderness and Yosemite Park, from Cindy Miller
14 Aug 00 GPS verification and improved text for boxes from Kearsarge to Forester Pass, from Steve Eckert
18 Jul 00 added bear cable at Pate Valley, from Debbie Bulger
03 Jul 00 added boxes at observed at Crescent Meadow, from Steve Eckert
25 Jun 00 added clickable map of bear box regions
12 Jun 00 updated several High Sierra Trail box descriptions, from Mark Connell
30 Dec 99 added UTM coordinate display and links to online maps
17 Dec 99 routes and waypoints shortened for Garmin GPS, common subroutines moved into modules
12 Dec 99 Ranger Lake description updated with text and GPS coords from Bob Gross
07 Dec 99 added links to TOPO! Trails
01 Dec 99 added Glen Aulin bear cable, from Douglas Smith
30 Nov 99 4x descriptions and GPS waypoints for Paradise Valley, from Scott Carpenter
29 Nov 99 revised Shadow Lake cable info, from Alan Ritter
29 Nov 99 put in guesses for ALL waypoints, including elevations, added notes to some
24 Nov 99 put in elevations and better formatting for known waypoints
23 Nov 99 switched from plain HTML to CGI script
20 Sep 99 updated Seville Lake box description, from Hal Murray
20 Sep 99 updated Monarch Lake box description and coords, from Steve Eckert
16 Sep 99 Merced and Vogelsang descriptions and coords, from Kalon Kelley
15 Sep 99 Ranger and Twin Lake box descriptions, from Hal Murray
15 Sep 99 Bubbs and East Lake box waypoints, from Scott Sullivan
14 Sep 99 Charlotte and Bubbs area boxes, from Dave Johnson and Scott Sullivan
14 Sep 99 new Yosemite roadside boxes with GPS coords, from from Steve Eckert
11 Aug 99 BBSR07-BBSR10 descriptions and GPS coords, from Steve Eckert
10 Jun 99 BBBC01 description, from Tony Cruz
08 Mar 99 added Shadow Lake cable, Minaret Wildernes category
03 Mar 99 added text description of Sequoia boxes, split High Sierra from Lodgepole
12 Oct 98 two Mineral King boxes
18 Aug 98 links to regions
13 Aug 98 Yosemite boxes
05 Aug 98 initials and dates of field checkers
22 Jul 98 initial numbering of boxes for field-checked GPS coordinates
1997 original release

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