Khutzeymateen

The Khutzeymateen was protected in 1994 as Canada's first area set aside specifically for grizzly bears, about forty-five thousand hectares of estuary, valley and old-growth around a fjord north of Prince Rupert, co-managed with the Tsimshian. Around fifty bears live in the valley, feeding on sedge grass in the estuary in spring before the salmon come. Access is tightly controlled: visitors stay on boats or in guided vessels, nobody lands, and permits are limited, which is why the bears here behave as if people are not a factor. The name comes from a Tsimshian word for a valley of deep snow and ice.

What you actually see

• The sedge flats - bears feeding on estuary grass in late spring.
• The boat-only viewing - watching from the water with no landings permitted.
• The fjord valley - steep old-growth walls with waterfalls into the inlet.
• The Tsimshian co-management - a sanctuary run jointly with the nation.

When to go

May to July, when bears feed on sedge in the open estuary and are most visible; later in summer they move up the valley for salmon and are harder to see from the water.

Honest expectations

Access is by licensed operator only, expensive, and permits are limited. There are no landings, so viewing is always from a boat at a distance. Weather cancels trips.

Nearby

Prince Rupert is the departure point; the Nass Valley lies east.