Bear watching in this diverse landscape can range from horseback pack trips through mountain meadows to coastal boat-based tours scouting for white Kermode (Spirit) bears in misty fjords.
If Kermode (Spirit) bears are the goal, head to the Great Bear Rainforest - one of National Geographic Traveler's "World's Best Trips" for 2013. This is the only area in the world where these white bears can be found.
Bear Watching in the Great Bear Rainforest
Thanks to a diet rich in salmon, grizzlies and black bears thrive in the central coast ecosystem. The ultimate bear-watching prize on the coast? A glimpse at the elusive white Kermode (Spirit) bear of Princess Royal Island, which has the highest concentration of Spirit bears in the world.
In spring and fall, sailboat-based wilderness adventure cruises wind through mazes of fjords and waterways in search of bears. Companies like Maple Leaf Adventures and Bluewater Adventures offer unique multi-day expeditions. Spend time with local Gitga'at First Nations guides at their viewing platforms on creeks frequented by black and Spirit bears. Near Bella Bella, Shearwater Resort offers guided bear-watching and wildlife tours.
From August to October, bear-watching tours depart from their base at Spirit Bear Lodge in Klemtu. Led by aboriginal guides, these tours travel by boat through ancestral Kitasoo/Xai'xais First Nations lands in search of black, grizzly and the elusive Spirit bear. Tours will often visit ancient cultural sites as part of the bear viewing wilderness adventure.
Bear watching and wilderness tours are also available from King Pacific Lodge, a luxurious floating eco-lodge moored at the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest.
Look for whales, porpoises, sea lions, eagles and wolves along central coast routes.
Bear Watching in Bella Coola and Tweedsmuir
Located inland from the central coast, the Bella Coola Valley and Tweedsmuir Provincial Park are magnets for grizzly and black bears. Spotting a bear next to the road while driving is possible, but a guided tour is the best and safest way to see these giants.
Most bear viewing revolves around their cycle of eating. In spring, grizzlies nibble fresh grass sedges in the estuary. Starting mid-August, salmon is on the menu. Some guided tours drift silently by boat along the Bella Coola or Atnarko rivers, giving the viewers a unique river-level perspective. Other tours use 4x4 vehicles to reach backroads or riverfront viewing areas.
Bear Watching in the Cariboo and Chilcotin Mountains
The interior mountain ranges in this region are best known for cowboys and horses, but they also support a healthy bear population.
In the Chilcotin Mountains, saddle up, join a horseback camp trip, and look for grizzlies wandering their spring and summer feeding ranges in open alpine meadows. Visit a vacated grizzly den and track the bears' location by studying their feeding and migration patterns as they lumber through the mountains – an excellent learning experience.
Further east, in the Cariboo Mountains, bear-watching tours are available in spring, summer and fall. Look for bears while boating in the river or hiking in the alpine wilderness. In fall, Mitchell River is a salmon spawning waterway, drawing grizzlies, eagles and wolves. Bear-watching tours depart from Williams Lake and Likely and access the area via a jetboat from Quesnel Lake.
Bear Safety
For the safety of humans and bears, always follow these strict but simple precautions from BC Parks and the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of BC:
- Choose a bear-viewing operator that is respectful and protective of the bears and their needs.
- Bears may approach humans for many reasons; most are not threatening reasons.
- During an uncomfortably close encounter, stay calm, don't move quickly, never run and listen to the wildlife viewing guide.
- Never feed or approach a bear - even to get that perfect photo. Hungry or angry bears can attack without warning. Do not use flash photography around bears.
- Vehicles should be well off the road when viewing or photographing wildlife.
- Leave the pets at home or on a very tight leash to avoid attracting or angering bears.
- To avoid human food conditioning of bears, food or beverages other than water should not be consumed near habitats that are frequented by bears.
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