As a northern Albertan, I grew up with bears in my backyard – and I mean that quite literally. During the summer and fall, they’d frequently wander into our unfenced yard to gorge on crab apples.
But for my Australian partner, they remained an enigma.
“I’m beginning to believe that Canadians are just making bears up,” she lamented on her fourth trip to Canada without seeing so much as a bear butt.
So, when we got invited to a September wedding in British Columbia, I knew the timing was perfect to change that. I booked us a stay at the historic Tweedsmuir Park Lodge in the traditional territory of Nuxalk and Ulkatcho First Nations. Situated in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest – a remote region northwest of Vancouver – it’s renowned for its grizzly bear watching.
Within 20 minutes of arrival, we saw our first grizzly. There was no question: This trip was going to make my partner a true bear-liever.
During the autumn months, the main activity in the Great Bear Rainforest is (not surprisingly) grizzly bear watching
Calling all Fat Bear Week enthusiasts: This is your opportunity to see the chonkiest of bears get even thicker.
There are a number of grizzly bear watching lodges in BC, but what makes Tweedsmuir Park Lodge stand out is its location. Situated deep in the Bella Coola Valley at the confluence of the Atnarko and the Bella Coola rivers, the steep surrounding cliffs create a natural corridor that funnels bear through it as they fish for salmon.
The prime time to see them is during the salmon run from mid-August to mid-October. This when upwards of 800,000 chinook, chum, ocho, pink and sockeye salmon migrate upstream to spawn. At Tweedsmuir, bears can be seen fattening up for hibernation (technically torpor) in the Atnarko River, which runs along the property’s edge. None of the bears are tagged or collared, but with 1.2 bears per kilometer, the valley has one of the densest grizzly bear populations in BC, so chances of seeing one are high. However, I’d still recommend a three-night stay to maximize your chances.
Your trip may even help contribute to their conservation. On a guided walk through the bush, bear-whisperer-in-residence Ellie Lamb said that their popularity with visitors helped end the grizzly bear trophy hunt in 2017.
“Tourism is the most incredible contributor to these bears,” she said.
You don’t have to stay at a luxe lodge to see the bears
Tweedsmuir Park Lodge has a dedicated wildlife watching stand, but it’s also not unheard of to see bears right through the windows of your cabin. We even saw one eating a salmon while we sat in the main lodge indulging in a three-course lunch. (Really, is there any greater pleasure in life than watching wild animals eat while you eat?)
However, you don’t have to stay at one of the area’s lodges to spot the big brown bears. If you choose to stay in one of the handful of motels or Airbnbs, there are also public viewing areas, including the Berlako Wildlife Viewing Area off Highway 20. Just make sure to bring a camp chair, insect repellent, a book or something to do while you wait (there’s no cell phone reception) and a fair amount of patience.
My favorite activity was the river drift
While it’s amazing to see bears from the riverbanks, there’s nothing quite like seeing them from directly on the water. We watched one bear, Ivory (named for her white claws), as she walked just a few feet from our boat, snacking on about 15 fish along the way. It was just part of her calorie count for the day; during peak season, grizzlies can catch up to 50 salmon a day.
My partner watched in rapt horror and awe as Ivory bit into a salmon and fish eggs exploded everywhere. (Don’t feel bad for the salmon; they die shortly after spawning anyway. Not pictured: The thousands of dead fish we also saw. Gosh, isn’t science neat?) Ivory’s power was on display, but it was hard to feel fearful. Instead, I found myself relating deeply to her snack strategy. Really, she was just enjoying a solid girl dinner.
The best spot to gain a better understanding of the Bella Coola Valley’s unique ecology is from the top of the via ferrata.
Grizzly bear watching usually tops everyone’s list, but if you’ve got time for another activity, Tweedsmuir Park Lodge’s via ferrata is probably next on the list. This series of iron rungs makes rock climbing accessible to even kids – and from the top, you can see how the valley funnels bears through it, with bald eagles soaring high above.
The bear necessities? Download a solid playlist or podcast for your drive.
It’s possible to access Bella Coola (the closest major town to the Tweedsmuir Park Lodge) via a daily 90-minute flight from Vancouver, but if time is on your side, there’s nothing like a road trip through beautiful British Columbia.
From Vancouver, there are two options: The first is driving north on Vancouver Island, then catching the ferry from Port Hardy to Bella Coola. It’s more scenic, but more expensive (due to ferry tickets) and time-intensive.
The second option is to stick to the mainland. It’s about a 12-hour drive, but will take you through some of BC’s most varied landscapes – from the snow-capped peaks and oceans vistas of the Sea-to-Sky Highway, to the deserts and sandstone canyons of the Cariboo Chilcotin region.
In total, it took us two days to drive the 1000-kilometer (621-mile) distance – including tackling the misleadingly named “Hill.” A particularly hairy section of gravel road, it drops from the Heckman Pass (1524m/5000 ft) down to the valley floor and features grades of 18%, making it one of the steepest public roads in North America. Oh, and did I mention there are no guardrails?
But my biggest regret was not downloading more playlists or podcasts before we set out, since cell phone reception is all but non-existent west of Williams Lake.
I’d also recommend packing a picnic lunch for the road, as eating options along the way are largely limited to fast food joints and gas stations.
The best souvenir I snagged was a bottle of gin.
To break up our drive, we overnighted at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, where we started our day with a sunrise soak in the hot tubs before hitting the road. This is also where we picked our favorite souvenir from the trip – a bottle of Blackcomb Gin. Made with BC hops, cedar tips and orris root, it tasted distinctly like the Pacific Northwest.
On our drive back from Tweedsmuir Park Lodge, we managed to spot a bonus black bear lounging in the sunny meadow. Now, there’s no way my girlfriend can say she doesn’t believe in bears. But her favorite Canadian animal? It’s still a squirrel. Fortunately, the Great Bear Rainforest has plenty of those, too.
Jessica Lockhart visited Tweedsmuir Park Lodge at the invitation of Destination BC and Fairmont Chateau Whistler at the invite of Fairmont. Lonely Planet does not accept freebies for positive coverage.
