This is why the grizzly bears come to Knight Inlet’s Glendale River in the fall. The metal posts are from the weir, which controls the water level in the man made spawning channel. If you look closely you can see the legs and nose of a grizzly trying to make a selection.
When you book an extra day at our lodge on Knight Inlet it comes with a trip to the Kakweikan River. This is a remote river, about forty-five minutes from the lodge. Few people that are not our guests visit this area. It has fantastic scenery, occasionally grizzly bears and river fishing if your are interested. The day is spent with Trapper Rick who has earned his living on the river for better than twenty years. Photo byPeter Palstring 6-6
Resident orca spend their summers in the area between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland and are likely to be found near Robson Bight which is part of the Johnstone Strait. A good orca photo will try to capture the bulk of the orca out of the water with their eye patch showing. Success! Wildlife normally viewed on a “whale watching tour” included orca, humpback whales, stellar sealions, seals, eagles, a variety of ducks and frequently black bears. Photos by
Peter Palstring 4-6
A common question on a grizzly tour is ” Is that a male or female grizzly bear?” If it has cubs or if it is a really large bear not to hard to answer. If not you need a grizzly to do what this one is doing on the beach: females urinate backward and males forward. Other than that often your guess is as good as mine unless it is a bear we see frequently and are able to identify. As the grizzly viewing part of the tour comes to an end it is time to head back to the lodge. Still on the look out for wildlife on the shore, in the air or coming out of the water. Photos by
Peter Palstring 3-6
Some of the Knight Inlet grizzlies are bigger than others and this is an example of a healthy grizzly bear. The good sized hump, belly a little closer to the ground (a fall belly rather than a June belly) and a good set of claws all indicate a larger bear. Grizzlies in the estuary accept our watching as long as we remain outside their comfort zone they pay little attention to our “annoying” picture taking. Photos by
Peter Palstring 2-6
That’s a wrap on the 2026 season at Sailcone’s Grizzly Bear Lodge. It has been an amazing year. We welcomed guests from all over the world and witnessed one of the best salmon runs in decades.
I would like to thank our crew who looked after our guests from May until October. We are very fortunate that they are all planning on returning next season.
On the wildlife side it was truly an epic year. We saw a number of bears with new cubs and had an amazing salmon run. With these conditions the survival rate for these cubs is high. On the water the Humpbacks were abundant, with a large numbers hanging out in Knight Inlet in the early season and lots in our whale watching area throughout the year. The resident Orca were abundant and we also had a lot of Biggs Orca sightings.
For 2027 we are continuing to refresh the rooms, with new ceilings and paint. We will also have our floating sauna operational for the start of the season. More information on that to come.
Thank you again to everyone who visited us in 2026, to our staff and our travel partners. We are booking quickly for 2027 so if you want to visit us next season inquire soon.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid (Owner/Operator)
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