How to Experience the Great Bear Rainforest by Land, Sea, and Air

Start your adventure in Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Get to the Island via a car ferry from the mainland followed by a scenic drive north, or fly to Port Hardy and rent a car.

The pace in Port Hardy is laid back, and big nature is everywhere you look. Stretch your legs along the Port Hardy Seawall or the Quatse Loop & Estuary Trail, and gain a deeper sense of place and culture with a visit to Copper Makers Gallery to admire the work of renowned First Nations artist Calvin Hunt. Consider a stay at Indigenous-owned Kwa’lilas Hotel to immerse yourself further in First Nations culture.

Find rugged wilderness and exceptional coastal beauty two hours away at Cape Scott Provincial Park. The secluded sandy beaches of San Josef Bay are well worth the drive along gravel roads. Or take to the air for your first real scale check: on a flightseeing trip, the vastness of the landscape becomes clear—forested inlets, scattered islands, stretches of beach, and few roads in sight.

Drive an hour south to Telegraph Cove, a picture-perfect boardwalk community set on stilts over the water. Colourful wooden buildings line the shore, and if you peer into the ocean below, you may spot harbour seals and jellyfish, or orcas passing by. 

In fact, Telegraph Cove, situated in Johnstone Strait across from the Broughton Archipelago, is known as one of the best places in the world to see resident and migratory orcas. You can also set off by boat from here to Knight Inlet in the Great Bear Rainforest on a grizzly bear tour.

Half way between Telegraph Cove and Port Hardy, Port McNeill is home to Sea Wolf Adventures, an Indigenous-owned and -operated company that offers grizzly tours, whale-watching tours, and multi-day immersive packages with stays in a wilderness lodge or cabin.

Port McNeill is also a gateway to Cormorant Island and the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay. Learn about the culture and traditions of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw People, and see exhibits including masks and regalia from the deeply important Potlatch Collection. 

Board BC Ferries in Port Hardy (advance reservations are a must) for one of the world’s most scenic coastal routes. The Inside Passage unfolds slowly with picturesque fjords, forested islands, and mountains that plunge into the sea along an historic marine corridor that has connected coastal communities for thousands of years. 

Keep watch from the deck and you’re likely to see whales and other marine life surfacing and seabirds gliding overhead in this spectacular place where nature reigns. 

Arriving in Prince Rupert, you’ll find a city shaped by water. Fishing is a vital industry, and a major draw for visitors. Several species of salmon grow to an impressive size here, and the halibut fishing is the stuff of legends. Go with a guide who knows the best places to cast, and you’re practically guaranteed success. To learn more about local fishing history, visit the North Pacific Cannery, a national historic site in nearby Port Edward.

With the minimal distance from fishing vessel to kitchen, it’s hard to find fresher seafood than in Prince Rupert. Waterfront restaurants in charming Cow Bay serve some of the finest fish dishes around, including outstanding sushi. Dolly’s Fish Market and Fukasaku are great places to start.

Visit the Museum of Northern BC for a look at 10,000 years of First Nations history, including the Tsimshian and other Northwest Coast Peoples. See carvings and textiles, and hear songs and stories that both entertain and enlighten.

Your journey culminates in a visit to the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, the first area in Canada to be protected for grizzlies. Approximately 50 bears make their home in this remote inlet north of Prince Rupert that’s accessible only by boat or floatplane. The park offers a rare chance to witness these powerful animals in their natural habitat.

Mountain peaks tower above a valley of wetlands, old-growth rainforest, and a large river estuary. The bears are drawn here by spawning Pacific salmon, and by the high-protein sedge grass that grows at the water’s edge.

Access to the estuary and the protected areas of the park is limited to a handful of licensed operators, including Khutzeymateen Wilderness Lodge, who facilitate unforgettable viewing experiences May through September.