Bear Canister Rentals
You can rent a Garcia Backpackers' Cache 812 canister from any staffed wilderness permit station. The cost is $5 (for up to two weeks) with a $65 deposit (cash or credit card only). You can rent a canisters for trips longer than two weeks, with a $5 charge for every additional two-week period. Reservations are not available, nor are they necessary. It may be possible to rent other approved bear canisters by directly contacting the manufacturer.

Rental locations:

• Yosemite Valley, all year, at either the  Wilderness Center (summer) or Valley Visitor Center (winter)
• Wawona Information Station at Hill's Studio (summer only)
• Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center (summer only)
• Big Oak Flat Information Station (summer only)
• Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station (all year)

To Return a Canister in Yosemite
Please empty and clean your canister before returning it.

You can return bear canisters 24 hours per day to any wilderness permit station.

If the station is open, please return to the front desk for quicker processing. If the station is closed, you can find a drop box outside the permit station.

Return Locations:

• Yosemite Valley Wilderness Center (all year) or Valley Visitor Center (winter)
• Wawona Information Station at Hill's Studio
• Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center
• Big Oak Flat Information Station
• Arch Rock Entrance Station (returns only)
• Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station
• There are no return locations outside Yosemite

To Return a Canister by Mail
Simply place the bear canister in the mail with a mailing label and appropriate postage. Please place the mailing label on the side of the canister and not on either the top or bottom of the canister. (A label on the bottom obscures our tracking number and labels on the lid interfere with the canister locking mechanism.) Also, do not place any tape or stickers over the lid or latches on the lid as they too may interfere with normal usage (if the lid gets lost in transit we will not revoke your security deposit).

Mail canisters to:

Yosemite Association
PO Box 230
El Portal, CA 95318