Interested in perhaps bear viewing & some whale watching.

Considering Tofino stay & maybe Telegraph Cove. (altho' am not sure we have time for both)

Debating about when would be the best time to go for both weather & wildlife viewing optiions. I realize the grey whales are more in March in Tofino. Perhaps we'd only do whales from Telegraph Cove?

When would orcas be the best bet? July?
or other?

Bear viewing...perhaps w/Tide Rip or other?
Timing?

Thanks for any help!

The best time for Ocras in the Telegraph Cove area is August to September. I highly recommend McKay's out of Port McNeill. In late August through September you could see large numbers of Pacific white-sided Dolphins as well as some Stellar Sea Lions, Harbour Seals and maybe a Minke Whale. The past several years Humpback Whales have been regular in the area in small numbers.
On this trip you will also encounter bald eagles and a variety of seabirds.

We've done this trip four times. Once was 'good', two trips were 'excellent' with lots of ocras and interactions and once was 'amazing' with a pod of ocras doing barrel rolls in our boat's wake.

For the Grizzly trip with Tide Rip go in early September if you can. The pink salmon start running up Glendale Creek at the very end of August, and attract in the bears.

We've gone with Tide Rip three times and loved the experience every time.

Our last trip we had a female grizzly nursing two cubs 50 yards from our viewing stand, and had a yearling cub nosing at the gate to the viewing stand while momma looked on protectively.....amazing experiences

Definitely go to the Telegraph Cove / Port McNeill area for in late summer for whales, bears and other wildlife.

I will be pleased to offer any other information you might want about one of my favourite parts of Canada

cheers

Jerry

Thanks so very much, Jerry! Just the info I was seeking. Only problem is we're also due to visit a brother in Colorado this year, & I was sort of 'hankering' for some autumn colors & thought about doing Colorado in late Sept.

I suppose I could switch that to a mid-summer trip maybe...
or, maybe push Vancouver Island a bit earlier like mid-August...but...
seems like late Aug to early Sept. is the ultimate time based on what you shared here.

Any thoughts on mid-July in these parts? (Telegraph Cove for example)
Any 'bear action' w/an earlier salmon run perhaps? Would orcas perhaps be around in July too? (like they are in the San Juans?)

And, Tofino? Any thoughts of when it's best? I realize the grey whales are much earlier. I wonder otherwise, when it might be best?

Thanks again so much for your time & guidance. Truly appreciate it!

One more query: is the boat ride w/Tide Rip over rough seas part of the time? Motion sickness med's recommended?

Also, do you feel like you get very litle time w/the bears in relation to the journey?

I'd love to do an overnight option but due to health reasons can't really do any bush plane type trips/stays. Thanks again for clarifying.

Well,

For both grizzlies and killer whales early Sept is hard to beat. Tide Rip does run summer trips that view bears feeding along the shore and provide a much less satisfying experience.

For killer whales alone a summer trip of perhaps mid-July onward is most rewarding.

The trip across to Knight Inlet from Telegraph Cove can sometimes be rough. We had a moderate swell for part of the journey on two of our trips and very calm waters on the other.

The trip goes from Telegraph Cove through a series of islands then across a bit of open water into Knight Inlet which penetrates the coast range mountains. The scenery here is wonderful.

The fellow who operates Tide Rip has a strong conservation ethic as do the guides and pilots he employs. You will learn a bit about local history and ecological challenges on the way over. It is about a two hour trip.

Viewing at Glendale creek is closely controlled. A very small number of people at a time are allowed on the two primary viewing stands.

You will leave the boat once your guide has checked the landing area for bears then walk quickly for about 70 yards to an ancient mini-school bus that you will take for the slow 15 minute trip up to the viewing stands. A tip -get on the right side of the bus for best grizzly viewing on the way up the road. We saw grizzlies along here on every trip.

You will have two hours in the viewing stands - a true 'adventure'since you never know what bear[s] will come walking up or down the stream into view. It is fascinating to watch them fishing and interacting. Everybody scatters when a dominant bear moves into the area.....

I suggest Hidden Cove Lodge near Telegraph Cove as a good place to stay in the area. They are in a pretty little cove with lots of wildlife. We had black-tailed deer, black bear, mink, river otters, harbour seals and steller sea lions on the grounds and in-shore waters there. Another plus of staying there is that both Tide Rip and McKay's Whale Watching will pick you up right at the Lodge dock!

There are a few grey whales that summer around Tofino and you can usually find a couple poking around in the kelp beds nearby -but for whale viewing the Port McNeill area is vastly better.

cheers again,

Jerry [in Toronto with not a whale in sight...]

Thank you so very, very much, Jerry for being so helpful. Btw, I have a brother named Jerry. Is yours from Jerome, too?

Truly appreciate all your time & wisdom w/this. Will help immensely with our planning.

LOL....yes it is from Jerome too.

I certainly don't claim any 'wisdom' but have been fortunate enough to visit some truly wonderful places in this country and enjoy sharing the little I do know.

One interesting thing I was discussing with someone recently is how few places in Canada ever get mentioned on these boards. We truly are blessed 'from sea to sea to sea'.

Jerry

Indeed! Love the country!!
(except for it allowance still of harp seal hunting.

Has SERIOUSLY led me to consider boycotting all travel there 'til the gov't recognizes that we are now in the 21st century! 'Tis high time...
this practice should have been banned AGES ago.

Seems they could at LEAST demand a different way of doing it...let them deal w/*more* bullet holes in the pelt if they need these darn pelts at ALL anymore! Pathetic to let these young animals suffer needlessly all because of trying to preserve a more 'perfect' coat for the furriers. (or whatever the heck they're called!)

Seems the gov't could work w/nonprofit groups (which have offered
but been stubbornly denied)...and could sooo easily provide economic recompense w/some simple pooling of resources like they do w/the ranchers near Yellowstone to allow for grey wolves there.

And, in the end, the money that could result as a consequence of ending this barbaric & archaic practice...through increased tourism & actual tours to THAT area would be well worth it.

Not to mention lifting the boycotts that must be affecting the livelihood too of cod fishermen etc who now don't have their catches purchased by some huge customers in large part due to this darn stubborn denial of letting something so disgusting go.

Anyway, I'm still pondering whether to call off our trip even though I adore Canada & all it has to offer the world in its natural beauty (& in taking care of its people, like I wish the U.S would do more of!) Sigh...

Before being holier than thou why can't a few wolves live in peace in Montana and Wyoming? Why can't caribou live in peace without fear of drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic Wildlife Refuge. For that matter, why are there few grizzly bears left in California - even though it's on the flag?

My cousin and I are thinking seriously of going to see the grizzlies in B.C. in mid-Sept. I knew nothing about Tide Rip but had been e-mailing knight inlet lodge and their grizzly tours. What are the advantages/disadvantages of each company? And what do you think about the possibility of seeing the bears in mid-late Sept? Thanks!

Tide Rip is a less expensive alternative to staying at Knight Inlet Lodge [although by no means cheap].

As you likely know, Tide Rip departs from Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island.

You see the same bears at the same location with both providers.

Mid-late September is still good for bears but the weather tends to deteriorate later in the month [rain.....]

Jerry