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The southern section of
the Great Bear Rainforest begins just 125 miles north of
Vancouver, and contains some of British Columbia's most
popular Grizzly Bear destinations. It is a mountainous and
densely forested area with little or no human habitation and
an almost total absence of roads, so despite its relative
proximity to major urban areas to the south, the most
convenient access is by boat or floatplane from northern
Vancouver Island where the towns of Campbell River, Port
McNeill and Port Hardy are much closer than any on the
mainland.
The only viable access to the interior of this vast swathe of
temperate rainforest is via a number of deep inlets or fjords
that run as far as 100 miles inland, and it is in these major
watersheds with their network of converging rivers and streams
that Coastal Grizzly Bears are found. |
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The best time to observe them
is during the autumn salmon run from mid to late August through to
mid October when they gorge themselves on spawning salmon in
preparation for their long winter hibernation. The spring months
of May and June also offer excellent viewing opportunities as the
bears emerge hungry from their winter dens to graze on sedge
grasses or forage for crustaceans close to the shoreline. In July
and early August the bears disperse deeper into the forest to feed
on roots and berries and are a lot less conspicuous, though a
small number continue to patrol the shoreline.
Knight Inlet is perhaps the best known Grizzly Bear Location in
Canada having featured in National Geographic and a number of
documentaries. During the autumn salmon run bear viewing is
conducted from two secure viewing stands overlooking a spawning
channel, and it isn't uncommon to see half a dozen bears competing
for the best fishing spots. While viewing sessions are limited to
6 people per viewing platform and 2 hours to minimise disturbance
to the bears, it's an action packed 2 hours with a rarely a moment
when there isn't at least a couple of bears in close proximity to
the platform. Knight Inlet is one of the few places in North
America where these normally solitary animals congregate in large
numbers, and interaction you see here between multiple bears
competing for the best fishing spots is rarely seen elsewhere.
Outside of salmon season the bears are found feeding on the shores
of the estuary and viewed from a boat sitting just offshore.
We offer lodge based stays in Knight Inlet inclusive of return
floatplane transfers from Campbell River, a varied program of bear
and whale watching, and all meals, as well as day trips by boat
from the Port McNeill area. The journey across to the
mainlandKnight Inlet is a particularly scenic one, . When
travelling by boat you way encounter Black Bears, Orcas, and other
wildlife en-route, and travelling by floatplane is a
quintessential Canadian experience evoking that evokes the spirit
of the pioneer bush pilots of a bygone era, and the Canadian
wilderness of childhood imagination. |
