Cruise British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, guided by the expert crew and naturalist of the 92-foot schooner
Maple Leaf.
Also called the Inside Passage, the Great Bear Rainforest is a land of fjords, mountains, rainforests and great river estuaries. Here, you can view grizzly bears, the mysterious white Spirit Bear, whales and, if you're lucky, wolves.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., calls it “the last stand of the great North American rainforest.”
See the Wildlife and Nature of One of Earth's Great Wild Places
Get ready for days of adventure and wildlife, supported by a very comfortable expedition ship, a gourmet chef and welcoming guides. Maple Leaf Adventures is a pioneer of tourism in the Great Bear Rainforest, having designed tours here starting in 1991 and advocated for its protection.
Maple Leaf’s trips in 3 seasons (spring, summer, fall) are timed for peak experiences of natural events and wildlife.
Great Bear Rainforest - Fjords That Harbour Wildlife
At the Pacific ocean's eastern edge, the sea breaks against BC's western islands and sandy beaches. Then it snakes down glacier-hewn valleys at the foot of the mountains: these are the Great Bear Rainforest's fjords. Some call it "Yosemite by the sea".
On Maple Leaf you'll travel close to the fjords' granite walls, where waterfalls drop hundreds of feet to the ocean. Whales and dolphins may surface and feed beside us as we travel.
Walk in the Great Bear's Ancient Rainforest
The ancient rainforest of spruce and cedar trees clings to some mountainsides and pushes out of the fertile river valleys.
You'll walk here with the naturalist and see why people have described these forests of
ethereal green light as "living cathedrals".
In the eighteenth century the European explorers had another word: sublime.
Where the rivers and forests meet the sea, the Great Bear's fecund estuaries form. These meadows and brackish waters are of prime importance to the area's wildlife, from bears and wolves to eagles, ravens and ducks, providing food in spring and fall and transitioning fish and nutrients between forest and sea.
Spirit Bears, Grizzly Bears, and Other Wildlife Viewing
The rich river estuaries in the spring and the prolific salmon runs in the autumn support B.C.'s largest remaining populations of the mighty grizzly bear.
The area is home to an equally large population of black bears and is the habitat of the rare, white Spirit bear (or kermode bear).
With Maple Leaf, you'll float in a shore boat or sit in a safe place on land to watch these great mammals fish, rear cubs, munch on sedge or turn over rocks for crabs and other marine snacks.
You'll also learn the "behind the scenes" information about how the estuaries work and support the life of the Great Bear Rainforest.
In the springtime, the meadows burst with new plant life, and newly-awakened grizzly bears graze on tender new shoots.
In the Autumn, spawning channels of the rivers are covered with salmon. This spectacle creates a feeding frenzy as bears and other mammals feast on the bounty. We may hear, and, if we're lucky, see the elusive coastal wolf, which researchers recently confirmed catches salmon, too.
Eagles by the hundreds, ravens, harlequin ducks and a host of other birds join the fray. To witness these phenomena are two of the greatest experiences in nature.
People of the Great Bear Rainforest
Explore the worlds of several northwest First Nations: the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo Xai'xais, Haisla, Gitga'at and Henaaksiala. Everywhere is evidence of their civilization.
Fish traps, bark-stripped trees and longhouse remains give testimony to a way of life tuned to the rhythm of nature.
You'll visit modern villages, talk with local residents, and see the ancient art traditions still in place today.
Remote Pleasures - Hot Springs, Wild Food
The Great Bear Rainforest's ocean frequently provides succulent Dungeness crab and prawns for our table.
We often visit one of the natural, out-of-the-way hot springs that bubble up here. Anchoring in a cove or bay, you'll go ashore by zodiac or kayak and sink into the rejuvenating warm water. A far cry from commercial hot springs, these pools are usually empty but for ourselves.
A Wilderness with a Complex Future - The Great Bear Rainforest
A ten-year land use plan recently announced by the B.C. government, with stakeholders from conservation groups, First Nations, tourism, local communities, resource extraction industries, scientists and others, protects 2 million hectares of this wilderness.
Sadly, much of the rest of the area is immediately threatened by massive clear-cut logging. We feel it is critical that as many people as possible see this place and become aware of the magnitude of the potential loss of so much critical habitat and immeasurable beauty.
Three Seasons in the Great Bear Rainforest
Our experienced crew and naturalist will take you to areas where you’ll be able to witness peak wildlife events: spring bird migrations, spring and summer bears on estuaries, mountain goats, porpoises, dense intertidal life. Humpback whales arrive in spring to feast until fall. In fall, witness the return of the salmon to spawn, which draws bears to the estuaries again, along with seals, eagles and elusive wolves.
See Sample Itineraries in Three Seasons:
- Great Bear Rainforest in Spring - spectacular vistas, cruising the entire coast, spring wildlife
- Great Bear Rainforest in Summer - long days of light, summer grizzly bears, whales, beaches
- North Coast Whales & Wild Side (Summer) - the wild west coast, whales and dolphins, beaches and cruisng the entire Great Bear Rainforest's length (does not focus on bears).
- Great Bear Rainforest in September - the spectacle of the fall salmon run brings grizzly, spirit and black bears back to the coast, as well as sea lions, killer whales and wolves.
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