Please use the lockable, bear-proof trash cages at the cabin — and make sure the carabiner is secured every single time you handle the trash. It's the most important habit during your stay.

Why it matters so much

Black bears in the Smokies have an incredible sense of smell and quickly learn to associate human food and scented items with an easy meal. A properly closed cage keeps bears and other wildlife out of the garbage, which keeps both you and the animals safe.

The National Park Service is blunt about this: food and garbage attract bears, lead to habituation, and often end in property damage — or the bear being removed or euthanized. Using the cages as intended directly prevents that sad outcome. A fed bear, as they say, is a dead bear.

A few simple rules

• Secure the carabiner after every single use — not just at the end of the day.
• If the cages are full when you leave, it's fine to leave tied trash bags inside the cabin rather than outside unsecured.
• Never leave food, drinks, garbage, coolers, toiletries, or scented items in vehicles parked at the cabin — bears will investigate cars and can break a window or door to reach a smell.

Recycling

We're sorry to say we can't offer separate recycling — our cleaning team hauls the trash out, and they aren't able to keep the two streams separated. Everything goes in the bear-proof cages together.

Thank you for clipping that carabiner and following these guidelines. It genuinely helps protect our guests, the cabin, and the local bears.