New York doesn’t have lions or tigers but bears? yes we do! Black bears, to be exact.
We’ve only had a couple of bear encounters ourselves. The first was a baby bear — just a quick flash of fur as it darted across the road and disappeared into the trees. We were pulling out of AMC Harriman at the time, and it felt like something out of a nature documentary.
The second time was a little more exciting. We were staying in a cabin at Harriman when a bear wandered through the campground. The staff ended up relocating all the tent campers into the common buildings for the night. We didn’t hear about it until the next morning — which was probably for the best.
Our bear safety routine is pretty straightforward: everything goes in the car. Food, coolers, dishes, even toiletries. If it smells like anything remotely edible, it’s locked up.
Harriman has bear boxes at the lake campsites, and we always use them when we’re there.
The NYS Bear Aware guidelines are clear and worth remembering:
“NEVER run from a bear. Don’t approach it. Just quietly move away and leave the area. If a black bear comes toward you, make yourself look big, make loud noises, clap your hands, and keep backing away.”
Every campground we’ve visited has had its own version of Bear Aware — signs, handouts, reminders. It’s part of the experience.
https://dec.ny.gov/nature/animals-fish-plants/black-bear/management/bearwise
