Summer is coming to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, and our bear spray rental network is opening up location by location. Not everything is live yet, but we’re adding spots every week as the season builds. Whether you’re flying into Jackson Hole, driving through Gardiner, or passing through Bozeman on your way to the park, we want to make it as easy as possible to get bear spray in your hands before you hit the trail.
This year we’ve added new locations, expanded our vending machine network, and partnered with more gateway community businesses so you can pick up bear spray on your schedule, not ours.
Below are the questions we hear most from visitors planning their trips. If you’re researching bear spray for Yellowstone, Grand Teton, or anywhere in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, this should cover it.
What Bear Aware locations are open right now in 2026?
We open on a rolling schedule that follows the season. Some locations are already up and running, and others will come online over the next few weeks as roads open and partner businesses launch for summer.
Currently open (as of mid-May 2026):
Bear Aware Jackson (at Teton Backcountry Rentals, 565 N Cache St) for full-service pick-up and drop-off
Bozeman Chamber of Commerce with 24/7 vending machine and drop box
Big Sky Visitor Information Center with in-person rentals plus a 24/7 vending machine
Red Lodge at Sylvan Peak Mountain Shop for in-person pick-up and drop-off
Gardiner Chamber of Commerce with a vending machine available 4am to midnight
Gardiner Yellowstone Dreamin’ Adventures for in-person rentals
Livingston Chamber of Commerce with a vending machine during business hours and 24/7 drop box
Jackson Hole Airport kiosk open 9am-6pm daily for in-person rentals
Opening soon:
Canyon Village in Yellowstone: May 22
Old Faithful in Yellowstone: May 23
West Yellowstone at Freeheel and Wheel: May 23
Check bearaware.com/locations for the most current status. We update that page in real time as locations go live.
What are the new Bear Aware locations for 2026?
We’ve been working hard to fill gaps in the network, especially in the gateway communities north of Yellowstone where visitors have historically had fewer options. Here’s what’s new this year:
Gardiner Chamber of Commerce is now home to one of our automated vending machines. This is a big deal for visitors entering Yellowstone through the North Entrance. The machine is accessible from 4am to midnight daily, so even if you’re rolling into town late or heading out for an early morning hike, you can grab bear spray without waiting for a shop to open. There’s also a drop box inside for returns. They also offer in-person rentals during their business hours
Gardiner Yellowstone Dreamin’ Adventures is a new in-person partner location. Their staff will walk you through the rental process and give you hands-on training with an inert practice can before you head into the park. They’re located right on Scott Street in Gardiner!
Livingston Chamber of Commerce has a vending machine available during their business hours with a 24/7 drop box for returns. Livingston sits on I-90 about an hour north of the park, and a lot of visitors pass through on their way to Yellowstone’s North or Northeast Entrances. Now you can pick up bear spray before you even get close to the park.
Red Lodge at Sylvan Peak Mountain Shop is another new in-person partner. Red Lodge is the gateway to the Beartooth Highway and the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone, and this location fills a real gap for visitors coming from that direction. Sylvan Peak is open year-round, so this is one of our most accessible locations.
Does everyone in my group really need their own bear spray?
Yes. This is one of the most common misconceptions we deal with, and it matters more than almost anything else on this list.
The National Park Service recommends that each person carry one can of bear spray in a readily accessible location like a quick-draw holster. Not one per group. Not one per couple. Each person.
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, which coordinates bear management across federal and state agencies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, gives the same recommendation. Bear Aware’s guidance matches theirs exactly: every adult should carry bear spray while in bear habitat.
Here’s why it matters. A bear encounter can happen fast. If only one person in your group is carrying spray and that person is 20 feet behind you on the trail, or around a bend, or has their spray buried in a backpack, you’re unprotected. If someone in your group trips and falls, or the group gets separated (which happens more than people expect on Yellowstone’s trails), only the person carrying spray has any defense.
Bear spray works. It’s more than 90% effective at stopping aggressive bear behavior. But it only works if the person who needs it has it on their body, in a holster, ready to deploy in seconds.
When you rent from Bear Aware, we make this easy and affordable. Our pricing starts at $16 for two days and caps at $28 no matter how long you keep it. Outfitting a family of four adults for a week in the park costs less than a single sit-down dinner in Jackson.
Can I just buy one can of bear spray and share it with my group?
You can, but the National Park Service and every bear safety expert in the region would tell you not to. Sharing one can means only one person is actually protected at any given moment.
Think about it practically. You’re hiking Mystic Falls near Old Faithful with your partner. You’re carrying the spray. Your partner stops to take a photo and falls 50 yards behind. A sow with cubs steps onto the trail between you. Your partner has no spray. That scenario plays out in some version every summer in Yellowstone.
Bear spray is only effective if you can reach it within seconds. It needs to be on your hip or chest, not in someone else’s daypack.
How does the Bear Aware rental network actually work?
The whole system is designed around flexibility. You can pick up bear spray at any of our full-service locations and drop it off at any of our 15+ approved drop-off points across the region.
That means you could fly into Jackson, pick up bear spray at the airport kiosk, spend a week in Yellowstone, and drop it off at the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce vending machine location as you drive north out of the park. Or pick up in Bozeman from the 24/7 vending machine at the Chamber of Commerce, drive into the park through Gardiner, and drop off at Canyon Village before heading south to Grand Teton.
The network covers the full Greater Yellowstone corridor. Pick-up locations include Jackson, Big Sky, Bozeman, Red Lodge, Gardiner (two locations), Livingston, and inside Yellowstone at Canyon Village and Old Faithful. Drop-off locations include all of those plus Fishing Bridge, Grant Village, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower-Roosevelt, Madison Campground, Cooke City, Belgrade, and the Bozeman downtown location.
You’re never locked into returning bear spray where you picked it up.
What is a Bear Aware vending machine and how does it work?
Our automated vending machines are self-service bear spray rental stations. You walk up, follow the on-screen instructions, pay with a card, and a locker opens with your rental bear spray and holster inside. No appointment, no waiting for business hours, no interaction needed.
Current vending machine locations include the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce (24/7), the Big Sky Visitor Information Center (24/7), the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce (4am to midnight), and the Livingston Chamber of Commerce (during business hours).
These machines are a great option for visitors arriving outside of normal business hours. If you land in Bozeman at 10pm and want to hit the trail at dawn, you can swing by the Chamber of Commerce vending machine on your way through town.
Each vending machine location also has a drop box for returns, so you can pick up and drop off at the same spot if that’s convenient.
What’s the difference between a partner location and a vending machine location?
At a partner location (like Bear Aware Jackson, Gardiner Yellowstone Dreamin’, Red Lodge Sylvan Peak, or Big Sky Visitor Information Center), a real person walks you through the rental. They’ll check you in, show you a safety video, and hand you an inert practice can so you can feel how the safety tab releases and how the trigger works. You’ll learn the minimum spray distance (about 30 feet) and get tips on holster positioning.
At a vending machine location, the rental is fully automated. You handle the transaction yourself at the machine, watch a safety video and receive printed safety materials with your rental. It’s faster, available outside of business hours, and works well for experienced visitors or anyone who’s rented from us before.
Some locations, like Big Sky and Gardiner Chamber, offer both. You can visit during business hours for the full in-person experience, or use the vending machine if you need bear spray outside of business hours.
How much does it cost to rent bear spray from Bear Aware?
Rental pricing is straightforward and the same at every location:
1 to 2 days: $16
3 days: $20
4 days: $24
5+ days: $28 (this is the cap, it never goes higher)
If you spray it during a bear encounter or lose the canister, you’ll pay the replacement cost ($50) minus whatever rental fee you already paid. That’s it.
For context, buying a new can of bear spray at a retail store runs $40 to $60, and then you’re stuck with a partially used or unused can that you can’t take on an airplane, can’t ship USPS, and can’t easily dispose of. Renting is cheaper, simpler, and keeps used canisters out of the waste stream.
Where can I drop off Bear Aware rental bear spray?
We have 15+ drop-off locations. In addition to all of our pick-up locations (which all accept returns), you can drop off at these locations inside and around Yellowstone:
Fishing Bridge Yellowstone Park Service Station
Grant Village Yellowstone Park Service Station
Mammoth Hot Springs Yellowstone Park Service Station
Tower-Roosevelt Yellowstone Park Service Station
Madison Campground
Cooke City Visitor Center
Belgrade, MT (Central Valley Fire District Station 1)
Bozeman downtown (611 E Peach St, 24/7 automated drop box)
Most full-service and vending machine locations have 24-hour drop boxes, so you can return bear spray any time of day or night. Some drop-off-only locations (like the gas stations inside the park) require you to return during their business hours.
Always check bearaware.com/locations for the latest hours and status before planning your return.
Do I need bear spray if I’m only visiting Old Faithful or the boardwalks?
All of Yellowstone is bear country. That includes the boardwalks, parking lots, and developed areas around Old Faithful, Canyon Village, and everywhere else. Bears don’t read the signs, and they don’t stay in the backcountry.
The Old Faithful area has recurring sow-with-cubs activity on nearby trails including Mystic Falls, Observation Point, and Lone Star Geyser. Canyon Village sits right along the Hayden Valley corridor where grizzlies are regularly active. Visitors cross from boardwalk to bear country in a matter of a few hundred yards at both locations.
The National Park Service recommends carrying bear spray whenever you’re in Yellowstone, and Bear Aware’s two in-park locations (Canyon Village and Old Faithful) exist specifically because of how quickly visitors transition from developed areas to bear habitat.
Can I bring bear spray on a plane?
No. Bear spray cannot be carried on, checked, or shipped via USPS. This is exactly why renting makes more sense than buying for most visitors. You pick it up when you arrive, use it during your trip, and drop it off before you leave. No waste, no hassle at airport security.
If you’re flying into Jackson Hole, our airport kiosk (opening May 15) is right in the baggage claim area. Grab your bags, grab your bear spray, and you’re ready to go.
How do I reserve bear spray from Bear Aware?
Visit bearaware.com/rent-bear-spray to reserve online. You can choose your pick-up location, select your dates, and pay ahead of time. Walk-up rentals are available at most locations, but reserving ahead guarantees your spray is waiting for you.
For vending machine locations, no reservation is needed. Just walk up and rent.
Bear Aware is the authorized concessioner for bear spray rental and limited retail services within Yellowstone National Park, operating under contract with the National Park Service. We operate locations at Canyon Village and Old Faithful inside the park, plus a network of partner locations and vending machines throughout the gateway communities of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
For more information, visit bearaware.com or call (307) 828-1885.
