Grizzly Bears, Eagles & Whales – Oh My!
This young grizzly walked along the shore before deciding to swim across the estuary.
Grizzly bears eluded me when I stayed at King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia, so I was fascinated when fellow travel journalist Doug Hansen told me about his time at Knight Inlet Lodge – also in B. C., but a bit further south. I love this part of Canada, and – based on his experience – I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before I follow in Doug’s steps. In the meantime, here’s his story:
Knight Inlet Lodge guests watch grizzly bears in the estuary near the lodge.
Shortly after breakfast, ten of us donned our bright red lifejackets and cruised slowly across the misty inlet to begin a rainforest hike. Since bears outnumber people in this remote British Columbia wilderness, our guide warned us, “If we encounter grizzly bears, don’t run! Just stand still and talk to them in a calm, soothing voice.”
Calm? Soothing? I wondered how calmly our group would act if confronted by enraged grizzly bears, but seeing wild grizzlies was precisely why I had come to Knight Inlet Lodge.
Located 150 miles northwest of Vancouver, the lodge draws eco-travelers from around the world who want to see stunning scenery and abundant wildlife. Because of the short season – late May to mid-October – most of us had planned up to a year in advance.
From the viewing stands we watched grizzlies hunting salmon.
Best grizzly bears in B.C.
Originally built in the 1930’s as a fishing camp, this one-story lodge floats serenely at the base of forest-clad mountains towering over the milky-green, glacier-fed waters of Knight Inlet. In 1998, the new owner converted it into the first of only four dedicated grizzly viewing lodges in British Columbia. “Three things make our lodge special,” explained staff member Phil Bergman. “Knight Inlet has the best grizzly bear viewing in B.C. The owners are leaders in protecting the bears through their “Stop the Hunt” campaign. The lodge runs in a very environmentally responsible manner.”
Knight Inlet Lodge guest rooms are modest, but comfortable, and include private baths.
June 2015
My wife and I spent two splendid days at Knight Inlet. Our adventure began with a thirty-minute seaplane flight to the lodge that gave us spectacular views of mountains, forests and fjords.
After checking out our comfortable room, we toured the lodge with its affable manager Brian, who only half-facetiously proclaimed, “Our goal is to keep you busy between meals.” No guest goes hungry. At breakfast, for example, I counted over twenty food choices. Dinners, with ample red or white wine, were always delicious.
A wide range of activities, including hikes, boat tours, kayaking and bear viewing, meant we were never bored. We reveled in the glorious sunshine while we hiked on the fern and moss-lined Rainforest Trail, toured the 125-kilometer inlet by speedboat and cruised the nearby estuary. Here we watched young, lean bears feed on tall grass in lieu of salmon, which hadn’t yet arrived. While we thoroughly enjoyed our visit, I left having not seen quite enough grizzly bears.
Our seaplane flight gave us fabulous views of the area, including this one of the lodge and Knight Inlet.
September 2015 – more grizzly bears?
Call me crazy, but in order to see more grizzly bears, I re-visited the lodge during the fall salmon run. How else would I know for sure whether it was better to come early in the season when the cubs and moms appeared or late in the season when the bears were catching salmon?
Barn swallows darting around the lodge feeding their babies provided endless entertainment.
When I returned in mid-September, I noticed many subtle changes: the overcast sky painted the water and mountains in silvery, gray hues, while off-white bands of clouds clinging to the contoured mountainsides offset the darkened landscape. Gone were the purple and orange barn swallows that had darted around the lodge, feeding their babies who waited impatiently in mud nests tucked under the eaves. Now, dozens of harbor seals lined the protective logs floating in front of the lodge. As before, only the shrill cries of bald eagles echoing off the steep mountainsides broke the otherwise soothing silence.
Two cuddly grizzly cubs waited ashore while their mama fished nearby.
More grizzly bears!
An hour after I arrived, I spotted a grizzly bear, a black bear, two bald eagles, dozens of harbor seals, a blue heron and three humpback whales from my seat in a boat cruising the estuary. Not bad for our first excursion.
However, nothing could surpass the excitement I felt at the grizzly viewing stands. Camera in hand, I stood quietly in a small group only a few dozen feet away from a procession of grizzlies and their cubs that patiently stalked, and occasionally ate, the salmon that dared to throw themselves against the frothy rapids. During one early morning outing, we breathlessly counted twelve bears, most with cubs, encircling our viewing stand. We felt safe, but close enough to the bears to get the kind of photos I had dreamt about.
View of the 125 mile-long Knight Inlet.
My U.K. dinner companions, Rod and Sarah Benson, best summed up why this lodge is so popular: “Everything here is so well organized; the staff is really friendly and hardworking; we love the fun, enjoyable atmosphere. And the animals and nature we’ve seen have been beyond our expectations.”
While I personally preferred my second visit, the truth is that anyone looking for a “nature Shangri-La” will find it throughout the season at Knight Inlet Lodge.
Doug Hansen is a travel writer and photographer in Carlsbad, CA. You can find more photos and articles on his website.
The one-story Knight Inlet Lodge floats serenely in the midst of a vast wilderness.
Category: British Columbia
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We visited Knight Inlet Lodge many years ago in the spring – and saw plenty of grizzlies! We had quite an interesting encounter actually. We took the little boat across the Inlet to where there was an old school bus, and were driven to the grizzly watching areas. On the way back, the bus broke down, and our small group decided we’d walk back to the boat pick-up. Bad decision. We ran into 4 grizzlies (including a mom and baby). But they ended up being more afraid of us than we were of them (or they decided we weren’t worth entangling with). Eventually, they walked off, and we made it safely back to the boat and the lodge. Don’t know if they still use that bus for the spring bear watching :-).