Richard Davis & Praline Barrand    May 2011

What a wonderful experience!!

Our visit to Knight Inlet Lodge was the 2 days of our Canadian holiday we were most looking forward to & it did not disappoint.

From the moment we were met at Campbell River airport by Harold, the Knight Inlet Lodge shuttle driver everything was perfect.    The information Harold shared on what lay ahead only magnified our excitement level.

I should mention the overnight stay in Campbell River at Heron’s Landing Hotel exceeded our expectations - lovely atmosphere, well appointed, spacious rooms and staff which went out of their way to make you feel welcome.  The continental breakfast included was also a great start to the day.

The 25 minute floatplane flight out to Knight Inlet Lodge from Campbell River was amazing – stunning scenery in every direction & it felt like we had only just taken off when we started our descent into Glendale Cove.

floatplane flight to Knight Inlet Lodge

aerial view of Knight Inlet Lodge

grizzly bear in Glendale Cove estuary

black bear in Glendale Cove estuary

Lenore and Peanut

The guided bear viewing excursions, all taken by boat, were fabulous.   Due to our visit being so early in the season it was more a case of quality rather than quantity but we were delighted with the bear viewing we experienced.   The stars of the show were ‘Lenore’ & ‘Peanut’ – a grizzly bear sow & her 3 year old cub.   The Knight Inlet Lodge guides are experts on the bears as well as all the other wildlife you are likely to encounter in Glendale Cove.   As well as both grizzly & black bears, we saw harbour seals, minks, pine martens, bald eagles, Canada Geese & an enormous variety of other seabirds, too numerous to mention.

A highlight on one of the estuary tours was seeing a black bear with her two tiny cubs.   We had the privilege of being the first Knight Inlet Lodge guests of the season to see these cubs which would have been born in the mother’s den during her winter hibernation.

The excursion by boat up Knight Inlet was breathtaking – in fact we enjoyed the experience so much we chose to do it again on our 2^nd day at the lodge.    The enormity of the spectacular British Columbia wilderness surrounding Knight Inlet Lodge is truly humbling.    The boat excursion was full of highlights – a large black bear fossicking for mussels on the rocky shoreline, bald eagles soaring overhead, Pacific White-Sided dolphins playing in our bow waves & literally dozens of majestic, towering waterfalls tumbling into the inlet.  The Knight Inlet guide was a fountain of information & kept us entertained with stories on a wide range of subjects from the First Nations people that have inhabited the area for centuries to the geological history of the inlet.

We also thoroughly enjoyed a tracking tour, an educational walk through the forest searching & learning about the tell tale signs of the local wildlife which call Glendale Cove home.    Again, the Knight Inlet Lodge guide amazed us with his knowledge.

One cannot end this blog without praising the exceptional quality of the food served at Knight Inlet Lodge – the chefs deliver meals so delicious one has to keep reminding yourself you are dining at an isolated wilderness lodge, not an award winning restaurant in a major metropolis.

To the entire Knight Inlet Lodge team, many thanks for an unforgettable experience.

Knight Inlet Lodge marine cruise scenic view

Knight Inlet waterfall