This photo of a grizzly bear must be before all the fish appear in Knight Inlet’s Glendale River, as I do not see many fish in the water. Maybe why we have a “standing lean”, at least a better chance of seeing fish when they come. Our grizzly bear tours after August 25 leave the estuary and take place up the river where there is better chance of viewing bears as that is where the salmon are going to spawn.
Is photo by Tim O’Neil of a brown bear or a grizzly bear? It’s either or both, because these are common names that have no scientific basis. Grizzly bears received their name because their brown fur can be tipped with white. This gives them a “grizzled” look, especially when blacklit by the sun. All the bears in North America are the same subspecies except one subspecies that occurs in the Kodiak Island. The bears in BC’s rainforest are known as grizzly bears. The Knight Inlet grizzly’s colour ranges from a very light brown which is almost yellow in some bears and almost white in others to a dark brown which may appear black.
After August 25 the grizzly bear watching takes place from viewing stands on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River. A classic pose after a good catch. A salmon in the mouth is the reasons the bears come to this part of British Columbia’s coast and also the reason we come.
Some days the grizzly bear watching on July and early August are quite warm it is unlikely this was a “bath” rather think back on a hot day that you may have experienced and add a heavy fur coat. That is the likely reason mother and cub are in the water. They are in the Glendale River estuary which is a mixture of fresh and salt water so their coast will not contain allot of salt when dry. The sedge grass along the shore is the main reason for the grizzly bears to be in the area as the salmon to not appear until late August.
A day of grizzly bear viewing from our lodge requires a run up BC’s Knight Inlet to a salmon spawning river that attracks bears from the surrounding area. This grizzly seems to have its eye on us as it leaves the river and comes toward the viewing stand. Wildlife viewing, as you know is not a zoo but most of time the results are outstanding.
If you choose to stay the extra night at our lodge the extra day is spent at a “wild” river on a wilderness tour. We cross Knight Inlet pass through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River and spend a day with Trapper Rick. The scenery on BC’s mainland in breathtaking and the wildlife viewing provides a reasonable chance of grizzly bear sightings. Bears are viewed below the falls at Rick’s cabin or on the road to the cabin. In this case it was on the road and we wait until the bear decides to let us pass. Having guided for the past twelve summer I can say that seeing a grizzly bear at Rick’s is a different sensation than see one from a viewing stand on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River.
This could be a two for one photo provided by Janis (from UK). A great shot of a grizzly bear with a salmon and also in the background, if you look closely a salmon coming over the small falls. If you click on the picture it will enlarge to give you a better view. On the wildlife safari trips it is easier to get a picture of a grizzly bear feeding than a salmon over the falls.
On the lodges grizzly bear tours we often view bears quite close. The viewing stands are located on a narrow road next to Knight Inlet’s Glendale River and after the grizzlies have eaten enough salmon they often pass beneath or very close to the viewing stand. This is the reason we are in an enclosed cage and the bears are free to roam.
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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