All 2 in 3 days here: ~60%
Great Bear Rainforest
🇨🇦 Canada
North America, Canada 653 spp. recorded
The Great Bear Rainforest is a vast coastal wilderness stretching along the Pacific edge of British Columbia, featuring steep mountains, dense temperate rainforests, and winding fjords. Moss-draped trails weave through towering ancient cedars and spruce trees down to cold ocean waters.
53.272° N 130.668° W
🦜 Nature
383 Species sighted
159,358 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 354 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~10%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~10%
Recent sightings in Great Bear Rainforest
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
25Jan
26Feb
33Mar
46Apr
45May
48Jun
44Jul
44Aug
41Sep
32Oct
26Nov
28Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Prince Rupert · Wantage Road
-
Sointula
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Campbell River estuary
-
Rebecca Spit Provincial Park
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Northwestern Garter Snake~70%+50%
Mule Deer~70%+10%
Harbor Seal~60%+20%
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake~60%+50%
American Red Squirrel~60%+20%
Glaucous-winged Gull~40%-20%
Common Raven~40%-20%
Pacific chorus frog~40%+10%
Bald Eagle~40%-40%
American Robin~40%-20%
Northern River Otter~40%+10%
Wandering Salamander~40%+20%
-
Daajin Giids—Small Craft Harbour
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Free
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Hard
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 486
🐒 Mammals 136
🦎 Reptiles 13
🐸 Amphibians 18
653 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
45 Threatened 7 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.1
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
57% 📊
Coverage (139 species at ≥5% of 653 in the inventory)
21% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 bird, 4 mammal)
59% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
97 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
15 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
14 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.8
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Free High
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
After visiting Canoona Falls, where we saw Harbor Seals and a Bald Eagle feeding on salmon, we entered Khutze Inlet for our first zodiac bear viewing.
In addition, we encountered humpback whales and orcas in the channels, sea lions, sea otters, river otters, and many different species of birdlife particular to the Pacific side of North America.
While we didn’t see any Spirit Bears, we were rewarded with views of black bears, including two incredible, relatively close encounters with a large, very well-fed, female black bear who was hunting for salmon at a beautiful waterfall.
Though we saw many grizzly bears, photographing them successfully proved difficult.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Great Bear Rainforest?
653 species
Great Bear Rainforest has 653 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Bald Eagle (about 80%), American Crow (about 70%), Common Raven (about 70%), Glaucous-winged Gull (about 60%) and Mule Deer (about 60%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Northwestern Garter Snake (about 20%); among amphibians, Western Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Great Bear Rainforest for wildlife?
April and June–November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 60% on a given day, against about 50% in May and December–March.
Can you see an American Black Bear in Great Bear Rainforest?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an American Black Bear sighting in Great Bear Rainforest on a given day, based on 357 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and August–October (about 50%).
Can you see a Brown Bear in Great Bear Rainforest?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Bear sighting in Great Bear Rainforest on a given day, based on 200 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September (about 50%).
Can you see a Humpback Whale in Great Bear Rainforest?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Humpback Whale sighting in Great Bear Rainforest on a given day, based on 583 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August and September (about 70%).
Can you see a Killer Whale in Great Bear Rainforest?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Killer Whale sighting in Great Bear Rainforest on a given day, based on 336 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August and September (about 50%).
Where in Great Bear Rainforest is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Prince Rupert · Wantage Road
The richest sighting zone is around Prince Rupert · Wantage Road, followed by Sointula and Campbell River estuary, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Great Bear Rainforest good for wildlife watching?
3.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Great Bear Rainforest rates 3.5/5: 210th of 316 parks worldwide and 32nd in North America. 24 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
.jpg/330px-Bald_eagle_about_to_fly_in_Alaska_(2016).jpg)
.jpg/330px-My_Friend_the_Marmot_(4241532773).jpg)
