Frontier Canada has one of the largest range of bear watching holidays. If you are lucky you will see a bear as you are driving around western Canada but if you want to be more certain of seeing bears, you should look at one of our specialist bear watching holidays such as Knight Inlet Lodge or Great Bear Lodge. There are also day trips to watch bears from Tofino and Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island. Which bear-watching trip you choose will depend on which type of bear you want to see.
GRIZZLY BEARS
The magnificent grizzly bears once roamed much of North America west of the Mississippi, but are now almost entirely confined to the Canadian North, British Columbia and Alaska, feeding on salmon, plants and berries.
One of the best places in the world to see them from spring to autumn time is at the astonishing Knight Inlet Lodge, just 20 minutes by float plane from Campbell River on Vancouver Island. Further north towards Prince Rupert, they visit the inlet at the intimate Minette Bay in late spring, and again in late summer. Large numbers live around Chilcotin Ranch in Gold Bridge, coming out of hibernation in the spring to feed on the first fresh shoots and grasses, re-establish territories and begin the breeding season.
BLACK BEARS
Black bears can be seen in most parts of Canada. Watch out for them as you drive around. They may be grazing by the side of the quieter roads. See them also at Tofino on Vancouver Island, where there are day bear-watching trips by boat, and in Whistler, on a 2-3 hour Nature Walk from May to October. From mid July to mid September, you can see black bears in the Laurentide Wildlife Reserve to the north of Québec City, staying overnight in a wilderness lodge.
WHITE SPIRIT BEARS
First Nation legends tell how the Raven, the creator, made the unique white Spirit (Kermode) Bear as a reminder of the last ice age. Actually a black bear, although coloured white, these elusive and breathtaking creatures are destined to live in peace and harmony forever, and sight of them brings good fortune Today, possibly fewer than 400 of the gentle creatures exist, and they are found only in the Great Bear Rainforest on the Central coast of British Columbia.
You can search for the Spirit Bear during September on a 5-day quest, which starts from a base in the heart of the forest at Klemtu, with its snow-capped peaks, deep fjords and open beaches, or sail along the spectacular coastline aboard a choice of vessels known to Frontier Canada. Other bear watching opporunities occur at the exceptionally luxurious King Pacific Lodge, on Princess Royal Island. | 
