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The Great Bear Rainforest and the Legend of Spirit Bear

The Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia is the largest piece of intact temperate rainforest left on the planet. Towering green, forested mountains give way to richly bio-diverse river valley bottoms and estuaries which teem with wild salmon. It is the home of the great grizzly bear, coastal wolves, cougar and many other terrestrial mammals. The Pacific Ocean, which laps the forest’s shores, is home to pods of orca and humpback whales that swim and hunt in the labyrinthine complex of fiords and channels.

It is here in the Great Bear Rainforest that the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation has lived since time immemorial. They have shared the forest and the salmon with a very special creature they call moskgm'ol (white bear). Their legend of the origin of moskgm'ol  holds that goo-wee (raven) made one in every ten black bears white to remind the people of a time when glaciers covered this land and how the people should be thankful of the lush and bountiful land of today.  Many of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais believe the Spirit Bears hold super-natural powers, hence the name Spirit Bear – a name that suits its mythical presence.

Guests who are intent on viewing the elusive Spirit Bear are strongly suggested to consider a minimum 5 night package or longer and to consider coming in September or October. While guests who choose the 3 and 4 night packages and who come earlier in the season may well see the Spirit Bear, this creature is elusive and shy and generally those who stay for longer – on the 5, 6 or 7 night packages –  are more likely to get rewarded with the moving experience of seeing the bear known as moskgm'ol.

Although these are wild animals and we can never guarantee Spirit Bear sightings, Spirit Bear Lodge guests will benefit from the experience of local First Nations guides who work closely with the Coastal Guardian Network of ‘watchmen’ in the region who all communicate with each other  to maximize viewing opportunities.

Of course, in addition to bear viewing, guests will have the opportunity to visit culturally significant sites including our spectacular Big House and learn about the First Nations culture that has flourished in this area for thousands of years and is embarking on a hard-earned renaissance after 200 years of social and cultural turbulence.