Knight Inlet Lodge, Canada

Knight Inlet Lodge

This is our view coming back to the lodge from a boat trip to the estuary where we saw not one momma bear with two cubs, but two momma bears, each with two cubs. This was on September 15, 2025. This was part of a package put together for us by Audley Travel.

Disclaimer: I do not receive any compensation, monetary or otherwise from anyone mentioned in this post, including Audley or Knight Inlet Lodge. They all just treated us really well.

TLDR: If you ever have a chance, go here! See the end of this post for specific travel tips on this place, and also some advice on cameras and photography straight from the lodge.

We started this portion of our Canada adventure in Campbell River with a stay at the Comfort Inn and Suites. We were scheduled on a float plane the following morning out to the inlet with Vancouver Island Air. I got to be the co-pilot (i.e., got to sit next to the pilot and was instructed not to touch anything). Even though the weather was a little sketchy, it was still a beautiful flight and I was sad when we started to descend.

Everything at the lodge runs like clockwork. Instructions are clear and plentiful. The staff is friendly and professional. The food is AMAZING. The rooms were wonderful, especially considering the remote location. I was prepared for maybe a step up from girl scout camp, but it was much better than that. Heated floors in the bathroom!

We hit the ground running, and were scheduled for 3 tours the day we got there. First was an Intro Tour where we boarded a skiff and took a ride around the inlet with some great information from our guide, Sophie. Then back to the lodge for a delicious lunch. Right after, a boat ride across the inlet to where we could board small buses and go to the bear stands. Our guide this time was Emma. Very knowledgeable and just as disappointed as us when there was no bear activity, but we did get to see two bald eagles up in a tree. Take those binoculars! On the bus ride back Emma spotted an adolescent eagle who still had dark feathers all over. I never would have guessed it was an eagle.

Back at the lodge, plenty of time for a hot cup of tea and a look around at all the information posted about the history of the area and the lodge. Then on to our estuary tour. We were in a group of four and we stayed together, but they mixed us up with other folks that were there so we got to meet a lot of people. Kayla had been our bus driver for the earlier tour, but now she was manning the skiff. We had anticipated going deep into the estuary as it was high tide, but Kayla spotted a momma bear and two cubs coming out of the woods. Momma started digging in the ground looking for bulbs and roots. Soon after, a couple of black tailed deer showed up. The bear did not try to eat them. As Emma told us, they are not on the hunt for human flesh (or deer). But you have to give them their space. We also had a blue heron stationed about 10 yards from us. Then about 50 yards away from the first momma and cubs, another momma and cubs came out of the woods to forage. Incredible! The mommas remained busy, but when the cubs got a little tired of digging bulbs and roots, they would look at us, wrestle with each other, wander away and come back. It was amazing to watch. We were there for quite some time and got a full show.

I was getting pretty chilled, so was only slightly disappointed when Kayla said it was about time to head back to the lodge. Appetizers and drinks awaited us, and we had a fun time talking with our new friends and warming up. Dinner was served at 7:00. Prime rib, salmon, salad and sides. Again - AMAZING. After dinner, at 8:15, there was a presentation by a fellow named Dean on "The Wind Eagle." Not to be missed if you get a chance to go.

The next morning we had an early breakfast and early estuary tour with our guide Stanley, who is a member of the First Nation. He too had plenty of information to share about the area and his family. Not much wildlife besides the birds, but it was a beautiful and peaceful ride.

Back at the lodge, time for one more cup of hot tea and a couple more home-baked cookies. We packed our bags and put them in the designated containers for our floatplane, which arrived about 9:30.

There are plenty of other activities to choose from if you go. I wish we would have scheduled to be there for at least one more day. You can also choose to just have downtime and sit outside watching the seals sunning themselves just beyond the dock.

I purposely made this post general with only one picture so you can discover all the wonderfulness of this place when you go. And I hope you do go!

Zak Pro Tips:

• You are only allowed 30 lbs. on the floatplane. Knight Inlet Lodge provides you with rubber pants, a rubber jacket, rubber boots if needed and binoculars if requested. No need to pack these.

• No need to pack snacks. You will be well fed at the lodge!

• Leave your camera tripods at home. Not allowed on the skiffs or at the viewing stands. Also, no drones.

• Do pack a swimsuit if you want to enjoy the sauna and/or cold plunge in the inlet. There is also an indoor pool at Comfort Inn in Campbell River.

• Do pack layers. It's a damp cold, and you'll spend plenty of time on a boat. Also gloves and a knit cap.

• Keep some tissues in your pocket or backpack. Lots of folks (including me) had runny noses out on the water.

• No cell service here. Prepare in advance, and enjoy being disconnected.

• Pack your patience panties. Bears and other wildlife have a mind of their own and only come out when they're dang good and ready.

• If you are not Canadian, download the ArriveCAN app! It streamlines customs. We breezed right through.

Photography Tips from Jason:

• Use two Camera Bodies (or a really amazing Zoom Lens). It’s great to have a 500mm on one camera for those far away wildlife encounters and a medium zoom (100mm to 400mm) on the other camera… sometimes the bears get close and you don’t want to fiddle with changing lenses… For that perfect landscape you will want a wide angle fixed or zoom lens. A 16mm, 20mm or 24mm will definitely capture some of the grandeur of the natural environment.

• Use ‘Continuous Focus’ tracking… bears move quite quickly!

• Choose a ‘good’ aperture . Generally f8 works really well for Depth of Field and keeping everything in focus. Maybe try f2 to f4.5 if you want that ‘pro’ blurred background look.

• Watch your Exposure → Grizzly Bears (and Black Bears) can be dark so don’t underexpose and lose all that detail in the fur. The Exposure Compensation button will be your best friend… or even better… Bracket your exposures!

• Camera Mode… Av or as it used to be called : Aperture Priority, works really well, just set your f-stop and the camera does the rest. If you feel like a master… why not use full manual mode?

• Shutter Speed counts! Unless you like lots of motion and camera blur, try to keep to 1/500 of a second (especially with a long lens). Keep in mind, you may have to bump up your ISO (film speed) to have a quick shutter.

• Night and Astro-Photography can be challenging as the lodge is a floating (and moving) entity, but on calm nights there is the chance to make stunning images because there is zero light pollution… Click HERE to take at look at this spectacular photo of the Milky Way or click HERE to see a fantastic image of the Northern Lights.

• Keep your camera shutter noise to a minimum to avoid disturbing the Grizzly Bears and other guests. A mirror-less camera system is a great choice for this and turning off the ‘Click’ on your camera phone.

• Be Patient… ask any wildlife photographer, there is a lot of waiting and even more luck involved to get that great image.

• Tripods are not allowed in the skiffs or at the viewing stands.

• Drones are prohibited during the season due to the Environmental Management Plan in place at our location in the protected Great Bear Rainforest.

• Carry-on luggage is not allowed on the Floatplane, this includes large lenses and cameras on your person due to safety protocols. You will want to use a small pocket camera or your cellphone camera when taking photos from the floatplane during your arrival and departure.