Grizzly Bear Viewing

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Grizzly Bear watching tours in British Columbia, Canada.

2022 & 2023 reservations now open. Early booking of the peak late August to mid Octboer season is recommended.

Knight Inlet Lodge offers wildlife viewing packages ranging from two to six nights for our spring, summer and fall bear viewing and eco-adventure seasons. All of our packages begin with your arrival in Campbell River, Vancouver Island and include a one night stay there.

You must stay the night prior to departing for Knight Inlet in Campbell River, Vancouver Island, B.C. as your float plane journey starts too early in the morning to make connections from anywhere. As there are no roads to our wilderness lodge a short, 25 minute, floatplane flight is the only way to visit.

A low to moderate level of physical fitness is required for all tours including the ability to walk approximately 100 - 200 meters on uneven and potentially slippery shoreline. If you have any concerns please contact us prior to booking for a more detailed description.

One of the largest concentrations of Grizzly Bears in BC!

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Glendale Cove in Knight Inlet is home to one of the largest concentrations of grizzly (brown) bears in British Columbia, Canada. It is not uncommon for up to 40 bears to be within a few miles of our wilderness lodge during the peak fall season when the salmon are running up the Glendale River.

And while the grizzly bears are abundant in the fall, it is not the only season that grizzlies frequent the area around the lodge. Starting in April, both black and grizzly bears begin emerging from hibernation and head to the cove and the estuary to feed on the succulent new spring growth.

Even in mid-summer, when some of the bears have moved into the surrounding timber clearings to feast on berries, we see several bears each day as they move in and around the estuary and along the logging roads.

Spring Grizzly Bear watching tours by boat

The spring season is highlighted by the presence of up to 15 different grizzly bears and 5 different black bears, feeding on sedge grasses, mussels and barnacles along the cove's shoreline and in the estuary. Fresh from hibernation, this season offers a wonderful opportunity to see newborn cubs as they first venture out with their mother into the natural world.

Our spring viewing is done from boats allowing you to get remarkably close to some of these wonderful animals.Seeing them at eye level without disturbing them is a powerful experience. The spring season offers some of the year's best photographic opportunities, with the grizzly bears moving about in a lush green environment with spectacular backdrops.

Summer Grizzly Bear watching tours on land & sea

Our early summer program continues on the water as well, but moves to the logging roads whenever the opportunity to view bears in this area arises. This season often has the best weather and is the most relaxing, offering you the chance to view the bears from a small group (the summer program also offers some of the year's best whale watching opportunities).

Spectacular Fall Grizzly Bear watching as they fish for spawning Salmon

Our fall season begins August 25 when we go to our viewing stands, as pink salmon begin surging their way up the Inlet into the Glendale River, attracting dozens of grizzlies who converge on the spawning channels to fatten their already burgeoning bodies in preparation for the coming winter.

The spectacle is as incredible as it sounds and has to be experienced in person to really appreciate it. Guests embark on their adventure from the lodge, traveling across the cove by boat and then riding a small bus along an old-time logging road through lush northern rain forest to the spawning channels. It is not uncommon to see 10-15 bears on the river, channels and estuary at a time.

Fall viewing does require that guests have the ability to walk on an uneven rocky shoreline, that can at times be slippery and or muddy, for distances of up to 200 meters. This walk is to transfer from the boat to the bus that takes you to the stands as described above.

Photographic opportunities abound as 3 different viewing platforms, in 2 different areas, have been specially constructed to provide a safe and comfortable viewing base to work from.

Grizzly Bear Viewing Tours - 2-3 nights - KILGB 2 / 3 TOUR Grizzly Bear Viewing Tours - 4-6 nights - KILGB 4/5/6 TOUR