10/21/2026
This season is an especially busy time for Yosemite’s black bears. As winter approaches, bears spend much of their time searching for calorie-rich foods. Acorns are a favorite fall food, and bears can consume up to 20,000 calories a day while building the fat reserves that will carry them through winter.
Seeing wildlife is exciting, but giving bears plenty of space and storing food properly helps keep them wild. In Yosemite, even toiletries, coolers, and other scented items count as food when it comes to storage rules.