About Knight Inlet Lodge

View British Columbia's Wild Grizzly Bears!

Located 80 kilometres, or 50 air miles, north of Campbell River, British Columbia, is a wild and remote area of the Pacific Northwest known as Knight Inlet. As the longest fjord on the B.C. coast, Knight Inlet offers visitors spectacular scenery set against a backdrop of dramatic mountain peaks plunging into the Pacific Ocean.

Variegated hues of blues and greens seamlessly blend forest, ocean and sky. It can be a place of immense silence in the calm of the temperate rainforest and of immense power in the face of the many thundering glacier-fed waterfalls.

The Lodge

Situated 60 kilometres from the mouth of the inlet is Knight Inlet Lodge. Our floating lodge is tucked into Glendale Cove, which offers one of the few protected anchorages in the inlet, and it is here that you will begin each day's adventure.

The lodge is an assortment of construction styles dating from the early 1940's, when the original float housed a logging camp. Recent construction has provided modern buildings for guest accommodation. In the Palace, the Native House and the Lair, all of the rooms are cedar paneled and have private bathrooms for our guests' comfort.

Most of the rooms have one double/queen/king bed and a twin bed. With the addition of a cot we can accommodate four in some of the rooms. Most of the guest buildings have lounges with wood burning stoves in them, for relaxing in the evening or on a cool day.

At full capacity the lodge will hold 30 guests in our twelve rooms, but 24 - 26 is the average occupancy.

Grizzly Bear Viewing Spring, Summer & Fall in British Columbia

Glendale Cove is home to one of the largest concentrations of grizzly (brown) bears in British Columbia. It is not uncommon for there to be up to 50 bears within 10 kilometres of the lodge in the peak fall season, when the salmon are returning to the river.

Although they are abundant in the fall, it is not the only season that grizzly bears can be found in Glendale Cove. Starting in late April the bears return to the estuary from winter dens and start the year feeding on the sedges, succulents, grasses and barnacles that abound in our estuary.

This luxuriant spring growth provides the basic nutritional needs for the bears which draws them from the mountains down to the estuary. This is the time to see, at close proximity, the tiny cubs emerge with their ever-cautious mothers.

In the summer the berry crop is very heavy and this helps keeps the bears in the general area. We do not get the high numbers of the spring and late summer/fall season viewing, but we usually see some bears every day. We view the bears differently in the different seasons.

In the spring, we set out in boats so that we can get close to the shore (50 metres) and give our guests a good view of the bears feeding. We still remain far enough away as to not disturb them.

Our early summer program continues on the water as well, but if the opportunity arises there may be a chance to use our tree stands. By late August we move to our platforms at the spawning channel although we continue to use the tree and river stands.

In all of our viewing programs our guest safety is of utmost importance. We strive to see the bears in their natural environment without having a negative impact on them.

Whale Watching, Estuary Ecotours, Jetboat Tours, Hiking & Sea Kayaking

As well as bear viewing, we also offer a number of other tours. Our marine wildlife tour is offered in all of the seasons that we operate but it changes greatly as the seasons change. In the spring, we travel throughout the inlet viewing the seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins and the occasional minke whale that may travel though our waters.

From July onwards, our tours have the added attraction of the Orca (killer) whale and when we journey to the world famous Johnstone Strait, we are almost assured of spending some great viewing time with these magnificent marine mammals. Not only do we view the whales, but our tour includes all of the spring marine viewing as well, so the program lasts for up to 10 hours.

In September, we add the humpback whale to our list of marine mammals as they start to arrive from Alaska on their way to Hawaii. The viewing of these gentle giants is infrequent, but when it does happen, it is spectacular.

In addition, we offer estuary tours, Knight Inlet boat tours, Jetboat tours up the Klinaklini River, excursions to the upper reaches of Knight Inlet, and day trips to the Thompson and Bond Sounds. We offer great photographic opportunities on all of our tours, whether the viewing is of birds, bears, other wildlife or scenics.

As well, we have day-hiking tours and our guided kayaking tours in the estuary. These tours are great for the novice as we have doubles and singles and excellent guides to take you through the brief lesson and then get you on the water. In past years this has been one of our most popular ways to view wildlife.

 

Explore the BC Wilderness

Bear Viewing

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 grizzly bears to be within a few miles of the lodge.

Whale Watching Tours

May to mid-October - daily marine wildlife watching tours to world renowned Johnstone Strait, an area frequented by 16 different pods of killer whales and rated as one of the world's best spots to observe and photograph these magnificent Orcas.

Inlet Cruises

The Inlet Tour is a beautiful scenic cruise that takes in the natural wonders of Knight Inlet -- tremendous waterfalls plummeting out of sheer rock faces, ancient glaciers with trails carving through the mountains and wild, remote rivers teeming with life.

Rainforest Walk

This is one of the few pristine watersheds left in this area. We will walk up the valley to large moss-covered old growth trees and stunning waterfalls. Your guide will inform you about the rainforest and the various plant life that abound.

Sea Kayaking Tours

Drifting quietly in your sea kayak, you will witness these powerful creatures as they quietly forage amongst this fresh sedge growth in the protected waters near our lodge. We are frequently fortunate to see new grizzly bear cubs, fresh from their winter den.