Canada
I was looking for a place that is uninhabited by humans, undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community. It’s perhaps impossible to find a place which has never seen a human, but Khutzeymateen is very close to my perception as far as the wilderness goes. The word is derived from K’tzim-a-deen which is a Tsimshian word meaning “a long inlet in a steep valley”. The Khutzeymateen Provincial Park (also known as the Khutzeymateen/K’tzim-a-deen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary) was established in 1994 as the first area in Canada to be protected specifically for grizzly bears and their habitat.
The location of the area is along the north coast of British Columbia. Historically the Khutzeymateen valley is in the traditional lands of the Gits’iis people of the Tsimshian First Nation. Through millennia, the Gits’iis have lived within this ecosystem, their history and culture older than the forest itself. The temperate rainforest of the Khutzeymateen is dominated by large cedar, hemlock and spruce with sedge wetlands along the inlet and in the estuary. Truly a rainforest, the Khutzeymateen has an average rainfall of 2500mm (98 inches). Massive tidal fluctuations, floods, river erosion and log jams continually shape the shoreline. Read more
The only place that offers to view the grizzlies and other animals in the wilderness is accessible through a boat from Prince Rupert, BC. One must stay the night at Prince Rupert to take the boat at 7am in the morning. It’s a floating lodge on the water of the estuary in a secluded area. The time it remains operative May through September offering different activities of grizzly bears after their hibernation period. We were in the lodge from Jun 28 through Jul 2 for 5 days/ 4 nights and saw the grizzly bears Coy with her cub, Marshmallow (F), Big Mom (F), Samuel (M), Summer (F) and Paws (M). A grizzly bear has an average lifespan of 22 to 25 years with an average weight 270 to 630 kg. The bears move around the valley; we are not allowed to leave the boats. Therefore, it’s not certain that one can see the same bear again. Samuel is a huge male grizzly bear we saw Jun 30 eating on sedge grass along the wetland of an island. He was born in 2016 with two other siblings, but they were not seen since 2020. We saw Paws and Big Mom on Jul 1 staring at each other from about 500m, we were not sure about their body language but after a while Big Mom disappeared inside the forest and Paws resumed grazing on sedge grass. Sedge grass is a source of protein for grizzly bears which they need after hibernation period and before salmon season.
The lodge has 8 guest rooms with 3 bathrooms which are shared between the guests. Salmon season starts late July through mid-September after which the lodge is closed and taken to a place where maintenance work for the next season is done. The lodge offers two trips every day with experienced guides on boat which is open on sides but with a shade above to protect from rain. The lodge offers excellent food, thanks to chef Neil who is passionate on his profession. I can admit I had one of the best preparations of freshly caught crab at this lodge.
During our search for Grizzly Bears, we also saw common Merganser, Bald Eagles and Harbor Seals during the stay. The coexistence of all these animals made the estuary very unique that special.
Below is the map of the inlet with name of the areas where bears usually come to graze or catch salmon during the season.
Click on the thumb below to explore the pictures
