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Sailing Excursion to the Great
Bear Rainforest
Explore Green Inlet, at the
mouth of the Green River, on
a sailing expedition to the
Great Bear Rainforest. Week-long
voyages north from Bella Bella
offer an opportunity to view
humpback whales, dolphins and
porpoises, as well as seals,
river otters, eagles and seabirds.
Tour deep glacial fiords and
rich intertidal zones in on-board
kayaks and inflatables. With
the help of experienced naturalists,
you may even see grizzly bears
feeding in river estuaries.
Contact local tourist services
for more information.
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Kayak to the Land
of the Kermode
Experienced sea kayakers, circumnavigating
Princess Royal Island, west of Green Inlet,
can depend on a steady panorama of eye-popping
coastal scenery and pristine sandy beaches.
If they're very lucky, they will also catch
a glimpse of the Island's legendary white
Spirit Bear (also known as the Kermode).
Princess Royal Island is a true wilderness,
completely uninhabited by humans.
Paddlers bound for the coves and inlets
of Princess Royal can take a mainland ferry
to Klemtu, on Swindle Island to the south,
before proceeding 12 kilometres north to
the island. Visitors should know that kayaking
skill and self-sufficiency are vital in
this magnificent but rugged land, where
sea fog can be common, currents can be strong,
and campsites are both small and infrequent.
For less intrepid eco-tourists, guided
boat and kayak tours of Swindle and Princess
Royal Island are available. Local sightseeing
expeditions can include visits to native
heritage sites and opportunities to observe
whales, bears and other wildlife. Special
"Spirit Bear" motorboat tours
from Klemtu to Princess Royal Island during
the fall salmon spawning season (mid-August
to early October) are a best bet for sighting
Kermode bears.
Voyage into
Fiordland
It may take some extra effort to plan a
boat trip or floatplane ride into the heart
of British Columbia's Fiordland Recreational
Area, but one look at the region's 1,000
metre granite cliffs, cascading waterfalls
and snow-capped mountain peaks will convince
you of its value. This 91,000 hectare marine
park in the midst of the Great Bear Rainforest
lies just south of the Green River, encompassing
the neighbouring Kynoch and Mussel Inlets.
Fiordland delivers spectacular scenery,
including one of the finest examples of
glacially gouged fiords on the British Columbia
Coast, a waterfall at the entrance to Kynoch
Inlet, and outstanding rock formations in
Mussel Inlet. Moderate anchorage is available
in some of the bays of both waterways, but
the thick vegetation and sheer cliffs of
the shoreline leave little room for camping
or hiking. Travellers who go ashore should
be aware that the area is well-populated
with both grizzly and black bears.
|  Ursas
Unusual
Sometimes known as the Sprit
Bear or the Ghost Bear, the
white or light cinnamon-coloured
Kermode is named for Frank Kermode,
former director of the Royal
British Columbia Museum. The
Kermode is a sub-species of
the black bear, found only in
the rainforests of the northwest
coast. It is not albino, but
is the product of a double recessive
gene carried by both parents.
On Princess Royal Island, the
bear population has been isolated
for so long that this recessive
gene for white fur shows up
in about 10% of the black bear
population. As many as 30% of
the bears on Gribbell Island,
just north of Princess Royal,
exhibit Kermode colouring.
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