Port Hardy Wildlife Viewing - Marine & Land
 Bear Watching in Port Hardy, Donna Trueman photo
Bear Watching Don't be surprised upon spotting a black bear rummaging alongside Highway 19 on the trip north to Port Hardy in spring and summer. These surprisingly shy omnivores graze for berries, green vegetation, roots, insects and grubs. They also have a taste for garbage, and this is where the meeting of wild creatures and humanity prove tricky. Rule number one for campers and hikers: store trash in bear-proof containers and hang both it and all food supplies in tree branches well removed from the campsite.
Great Bear Nature Tours Departing from Port Hardy, Great Bear Nature Tours (rated by National Geographic as one of the "best adventure travel companies on earth") take small groups by floatplane to its solar-powered lodge on the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest. Twice-daily trips by boat allow close encounters with grizzlies in the wild. Other possible sightings out in the wild: Black-tailed deer, Roosevelt elk, timber wolves and, on the extremely rare occasion, cougars.
Bird Watching  Look up just about anywhere/anytime in Port Hardy between April and September, and it's likely a bald eagle or three will be soaring in the blue skies. Other sightings will include Great Blue Herons, American Widgeons, Buffleheads, Trumpeter Swans, and numerous types of seabirds. The Scott Islands off the western tip of Cape Scott Provincial Park is home to tens of thousands of tufted puffins. The best bird-watching spot in Port Hardy itself is from the viewing platform overlooking the marshy wetlands of the Quatse River Estuary. Bring binoculars and a camera when visiting the site, which can be reached via Goodspeed Road just past Sunny Sanctuary Campground. A walking trail here links up with the harbourfront walkway to Fisherman's Wharf and the forested Quatse River Trail loop. Whale Watching Getting out on the water via a water taxi or fishing/diving charter is one sure way to meet some of the north island's remarkable amphibious residents. Pods of Orca whales circulate in the Queen Charlotte Sound, flashing their black and white torsos while spy hopping across the waves. Humpback and Minke whales, harbour seals, stellar sea lions, pacific white-sided dolphins, dall's porpoises and otters also make regular if always unscheduled appearances. Drop by the Port Hardy Visitor Centre for more information about wildlife viewing and tours in the area.
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