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.
Grizzly bear tours from the lodge travel up Knight Inlet to Glendale Cove and the river estuary. Both spring and summer tours take advantage of the tidal change to move up and down the river. We use an eighteen-foot flat bottom skiff that allows us to move up and down the river in very shallow water. The riverbanks and estuary are covered with a very protein rich sedge grass that the grizzlies graze. They have become accustomed to our presence and provide interesting photos as they observe us.
As we came along the shore on one of the whale watching trips we came upon this black bear stand at the edge of a small channel between two islands. It was not turning rocks and as we waited it went back up the beach into the bush. One of our other boasts was a about ten minutes behind us and when they got to this same point the bear was in the water swimming between islands. As in most wildlife viewing timing in important.
Grizzly bear watching in the spring is always made interesting because of the reaction of the cubs. Born in January of February the cubs are only five or six months old. When we first see these cubs in the end of May everything is new for them. We are their first interaction with boats and they are wary. Normally on their first encounter they leave the beach (and mother)) for the trees but the mother’s reaction is the teaching tool for the cubs. This is not new for the grizzly mothers so by the third encounter, as in this photo, the cubs still keep an eye on the boats but stay on the beach with mom.
The grizzly bear viewing platforms used by the lodge provide variety of viewing opportunities. The finger stand is located between the natural river and the entrance to the spawning channel. The grizzlies walk up and down the river using it as a path between various fishing spots. They also move to the other side of the stands, which is the holding s area for the salmon, before they move on to spawn in the man made spawning beds. These two grizzly siblings are on the river side of the viewing platform but are keeping a close eye on a mother and cubs that just passed behind the stands to fish in the holding pool. Sub-adults are always careful of mothers with cubs and will stay back while they are in the area.
In early June on grizzly bear trips up Knight Inlet from the lodge the grizzlies and their cubs are found along the shore. The mothers bring their five and six month old cubs to the beach as they are in search of the protein made up of crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates they can find under beach rocks. The many types of berries are not ripe and the only other protein is sedge grass that grown in the river estuaries. The cubs do turn rocks and graze on the grass but they also like to climb and play. This cub spent a good twenty minutes attaching this small tree on the stump.
Sometime on the evening of the arrival day guest will go on a local wildlife tour. It may be before or after diner depending on the tide. The object of the tour is to find black bears on the beach and that means there needs to be a low tide to have a beach for the bears. It tour is an hour or so depending on the wildlife viewing. It allows the guest to become familiar with the guides and boats and to gain some experience of photographing from a boat.
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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