Campground safety and wildlife

Safety

Staying safe at the campground, on the road and on the job.

• Around the fire

  Fire bans, building and tending a safe campfire, putting it out, propane, burns, and what to do if a fire escapes.

• In the tent and trailer

  Carbon monoxide, choosing a safe tent site, sleeping in bear country, propane and electrical safety in trailers and RVs.

• Driving with a trailer

  Weights and licences, a hitching checklist, sway, mountain grades, backing into sites, and gravel and resource roads.

• Weather and wildfire

  Alerts, wildfire evacuation, smoke, lightning, wind, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, heat and cold.

• Water and swimming

  Lifejackets, cold water, swimming, rescues, blue-green algae and safe drinking water.

• Working as a host

  Insurance and training, working alone, dealing with difficult campers, handling money, physical work and your own health.

• First aid and emergencies

  Calling 911 from a campground, first aid training and kits, and common camping injuries and illness.

Wildlife

The animals where you work, the rules for keeping your distance, and how to protect yourself.

• Wildlife where you work

  The animals to know in each part of Canada and the United States, from bears and cougars to rattlesnakes, alligators and ticks.

• Stay-away rules

  How far to stay back, never feeding wildlife, the bare campsite, pets, closures and how to report wildlife problems.

• Protect yourself

  Bear spray, avoiding encounters, and what to do if you meet a bear, cougar, wolf, moose, elk, bison, snake or alligator. Ticks and insects too.

Wildlife by region

Canada: British Columbia · Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba · Ontario and Quebec · Atlantic Canada · Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut

United States: Pacific Northwest · California · Southwest · Rocky Mountains · Great Plains and Midwest · Southeast and Gulf · Northeast and Mid-Atlantic · Alaska · Hawaii