Grizzly bears thrive here and the viewing opportunities are spectacular. We have operated our Grizzly Bear Lodge for decades and know the prime spots for bear watching. The ultimate grizzly bear photo opportunities.
The black on the rocks beneath the bladderwrack seaweed is mussels. The black bears come to the shore at low tides and scrape the mussels from the rocks as a source of protein. You will notice the white patches of rock around the bear that have already been scraped clean. This bear is promoting the “grass is always greener” philosophy of getting mussels.
The weir by the grizzlies feet is the entrance to the man-made spawning channel that is located next to one of the two viewing platform used after August 24th. This grizzly had been fishing on the other side of the weir when it decided to take a rest and climbed over the low barrier and relaxed.
Although bald eagle mate for life that does not mean they sit in the same tree together. While along the shore they are in hunting mode and in separate tree they cover a much larger area. A two for one eagle photo is not that common and the only thing that you can be sure about is that these two are a mating pair as eagle are very territorial.
Photo was taken August 27 and the grizzly bear is in the river waiting for the salmon. A little fatter than the bear in yesterdays post but still a long way from fat enough for hibernation. It is just the start of the salmon run so this mother and cub has two months to add the weight necessary for a successful hibernation. If you compare this photo with the post of August 16 it is another cub on a different rock trying to stay dry.
It was the end of May and the first time we saw this grizzly bear along the shore of Knight Inlet. Bears may lose 15-30 % of their body weight during hibernation and this one appears to be closer to the 30% mark. The bears body frame is he same size as the weight is lost from the belly making it have very long legs. I had a guest several years ago say they look like “grizzly dogs” and the term is appropriate. This is a young bear so it was likely that it was not as fat as it could have been for hibernation but fat enough because it did survive.
This did not require the stopping of the boat for an interesting photo. This was from the front deck of Grizzly Bear Lodge one evening as we had an unusual moon rise. Yes many guests are photographing from dawn to dusk and are very happy in their task.
Unlike yesterdays post with the fog this has a much more dangerous look. It was a morning run up Knight Inlet to watch grizzly bears and as we turned Littleton Point to enter Knight’s we got quite a surprise. The water was calm without a breath of wind and in about fifteen minutes the sun broke through the clouds and the day turned out to be perfect but that fifteen minutes was a little unnerving.
I have learned over the many years of guiding for Grizzly Bear Lodge to view the area through the eyes of my guests and it never ceases to amaze me the number of times I have requests to stop for photos of scenery. It is important to note that there are a maximum of four guests per boat and on many trip you may have the guide to yourself. To stop for photos you do not need to consult ten or twenty other people you just say STOP and it happens. August frequently has a calm water and foggy start to the day but the fog is normally gone before noon.
While waiting for salmon to move up river a grizzly bear visits her cub that is sitting on a rock trying to stay dry. First year grizzly cubs are to young for fishing and do not like to get wet unless absolutely necessary. This cub had been sitting for a while and started to make noises when mother came over to make sure all was OK before she returned to work.
Black bear cubs tend to stay close to their mother when they are walking the beach. If a noise startles them while we are watching from the boat they run to mother rather than up the beach for cover. They only go up the beach if the mother says and then it is into a tree. As the photo show they are almost synchronized with mother in their walking.
Just like that another season has come to an end. We are grateful for all the wonderful staff and the guests this season. It was an excellent season and we are already looking forward to next May.
One of the highlights of the season was all of the new cubs out. It was awesome to see so many new cubs of the year and that is great news for our bear populations moving forward. We had great spring viewing and this continued through summer. On our river trips we started to see salmon arriving in August and enjoyed some great shoulder season viewing. The fish at the viewing platforms were a little late showing up this year, but viewing during late September at the platforms was great and the estuary viewing remained strong throughout the season.
Out in the whale watching world it was another year that saw large numbers of resident Orca who remained in the area right into October. The Humpback viewing was also great with large numbers feeding in Blackfish Sound. It is so amazing to have these magnificent animals back in our waters in such numbers.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We rebuilt the front deck last spring, utilising cedar cut on site. We will continue with some siding, rooms improvements and hopefully a floating sauna ready for the start of our season.
2026 is already looking like a very busy season for us. We only have limited high season availability so please book early to ensure we have space for your group.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid
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