US Forest Service · CA/NV
Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation): bear canister rules
Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation) does not require a bear canister.
Short answer
Basin-wide order: unattended food in a bear-resistant container (a canister is required only for Desolation overnight visitors).
We found no canister listing requirement for this area. Hanging, lockers or poles may be the expected methods, and a canister is generally a permitted option. Of the 30 canisters we cover, 0 are confirmed matches here.
Heads-up before you rely on this
- Source page shows no date. The official page does not show a "last updated" date we could capture. We record the day we read it instead.
- Partly verified. Some part of this rule (a date, a boundary, a list or a wording detail) is not fully confirmed from official text. See the notes below for what is missing.
Rules change. Confirm with the land manager (sources below) before you go.
Is my canister legal in Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation)?
No canister rule
BearVault BV500 Journey in Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation): no listing rule found.
No canister listing requirement found for this area; a canister is a permitted way to store food where canister/hang options exist.
Area rule Basin-wide order: unattended food in a bear-resistant container (a canister is required only for Desolation overnight visitors).
See every canister for Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation)Checked 2026-10-26. Always verify with the land manager before you go.
The rule, as written
- Requirement
- Basin-wide order: unattended food in a bear-resistant container (a canister is required only for Desolation overnight visitors).
- Accepted
- Bear-resistant container for unattended food
- Order
- 19-24-03
- Dates
- Order 19-24-03, 2024-03-07 to 2029-12-31
- Source updated
- alert page (date not captured)
- Checked
- 2026-10-26 · partly verified
- Our notes
- Container standard in the order was not extracted.
Every canister we cover, in Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation)
- BearVault BV ONE Adjustable
- BearVault BV425 Sprint
- BearVault BV450 Jaunt
- BearVault BV475 Trek
- BearVault BV500 Journey
- BearVault BV250
- BearVault BV300
- BearVault BV350
- BearVault BV400
- BearVault BV110B
- BearVault BV200
- Wild Ideas (Bearikade) Weekender MKII
- Wild Ideas (Bearikade) Expedition MKII
- Grub Can Wave 6.6 L
- Grub Can Wave 10.0 L
- Grub Can Carbon/Kevlar 6.6 L
- Grub Can Carbon/Kevlar 4.5 L
- Grub Can Spirit Wave 7.2 L
- Grub Can GL500
- Counter Assault Bear Keg
- Garcia Backpackers' Cache 812
- Bare Boxer Contender 101
- Bare Boxer Champ 202
- Lighter1 Big Daddy
- Lighter1 Lil' Sami
- UDAP No-Fed-Bear
- REI Co-op Traverse Bear Can 25200
- Ursack Major
- Ursack AllMitey
- Purple Mountain Engineering Tahoe
Arrows mark models with a detailed answer page for this area. Others link to the canister's page, which lists every area.
Quick answers
Do I need a bear canister in Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation)?
Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation) does not require a bear canister. Basin-wide order: unattended food in a bear-resistant container (a canister is required only for Desolation overnight visitors).
Which canisters are accepted in Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation)?
Bear-resistant container for unattended food
How current is this information?
We checked Lake Tahoe Basin (outside Desolation)'s official source on 2026-10-26. Source page shows no date. Partly verified. Confirm with the land manager before you go.
Nearby and related rules
- Inyo NF - Bishop Pass / Treasure Lakes Canister required for food/refuse in this order area (one of eight designated areas). Canister required
- Inyo NF - Cottonwood Lakes Canister required for food/refuse in this order area (one of eight designated areas). Canister required
- Inyo NF - Duck Pass / Purple Lake Canister required for food/refuse in this order area (one of eight designated areas). Canister required
- Inyo NF - Fish Creek Canister required for food/refuse in this order area (one of eight designated areas). Canister required
- Inyo NF - Kearsarge Pass Canister required for food/refuse in this order area (one of eight designated areas). Canister required
- Inyo NF - Little Lakes Valley Canister required for food/refuse in this order area (one of eight designated areas). Canister required
Sources and date checked
Checked . We link the official pages so you can read the rule yourself.