Grizzly Bears on British Columbia's coast - from 2 to 6 night adventures!

Located 80 kilometers, (50 air miles), north of Campbell River, British Columbia, is a wild and remote area of the Great Bear Rainforest known as Knight Inlet. As the longest fjord on the B.C. coast, Knight Inlet offers visitors spectacular scenery set against a backdrop of dramatic mountain peaks plunging into the Pacific Ocean. Variegated hues of blues and greens seamlessly blend forest, ocean and sky. It can be a place of immense silence in the calm of the temperate rainforest and of immense power in the face of the many thundering glacier-fed waterfalls.
Situated 60 kilometers from the mouth of the inlet is Knight Inlet Lodge. Our floating lodge is tucked into Glendale Cove, which offers one of the few protected anchorages in the inlet, and it is here that you will begin each day’s adventure.
The lodge is an assortment of modern cement floats containing 18 guest rooms, dining room, lounge, interpretive center and support buildings. All rooms have 2 queen beds with private washroom and shower except our family rooms which have 1 queen and 2 twin beds. The dining room has ample seating for 50 plus a separate common area with comfortable seating and gas fireplaces where guests can mingle before and after meals. Our usual full house is about 36 guests, though during the summer average capacity is between 34-40 including children.
Glendale Cove is home to one of the largest concentrations of grizzly (brown) bears in British Columbia. It is not uncommon for there to be up to 50 bears within 10 kilometers of the lodge in the peak fall season, when the salmon are returning to the river. Although they are abundant in the fall, it is not the only season that grizzly bears can be found in Glendale Cove. Starting in late April the bears return to the estuary from winter dens and start the year feeding on the sedges, succulents, grasses and barnacles that abound in our estuary. This luxuriant spring growth provides the basic nutritional needs for the bears which draws them from the mountains down to the estuary. This is the time to see, at close proximity; the tiny cubs emerge with their ever-cautious mothers. In the summer, the berry crop is very heavy, and this helps keeps the bears in the general area. We do not get the high numbers of the spring and late summer/fall season viewing, but we usually see some bears every day.
We view the bears differently in the different seasons. In the spring and summer, we set out in boats so that we can get close to the shore (50 meters) and give our guests a good view of the bears feeding. We still keep far enough away as to not disturb them. In late August we open our viewing stands although we continue to view the bears by boat as well. With our entire viewing program guest safety is of utmost importance. We strive to see the bears in their natural environment without having a negative impact on them.
To make a booking or for more information please contact us at fit@journeysacrosscanada.com