Wildlife watching tours in the Cariboo Mountains

Explore nature on one of these wildlife watching ecotours on Quesnel Lake. Choose from old growth forests and wetlands in the summer to grizzly bear viewing along the Mitchell River in the fall. Observe the “cycle of life” as the clear glacial waters of the Mitchell River run red with returning sockeye salmon. One of the life’s blood rivers of the Quesnel Lake watershed and one of the major salmon-producing rivers in the province, the habitat it provides is shared by the resident trout and the salmon. As the salmon return, the grizzly bears also return to the river. This provides exceptional photography opportunities as the bears feast on salmon and ready themselves for winter hibernation. Along with the grizzlies, the river is lined with eagles, bald and golden, also feasting on the salmon carcasses. This exquisite river ecosystem provides a unique study opportunity for naturalists and photographers. You are likely to see many species of birds including ducks, geese, blue herons, trumpeter swans, water ouesels, whiskey jacks (gray jays), sapsuckers, woodpeckers and grouse. Native wildlife includes the mountain grizzlies, mountain goats, mountain caribou, mule deer, moose, black bears and a host of smaller fur bearers such as otters, beavers, pine martens, chipmunks and squirrels. This is a remarkable natural history adventure; one of the few places on earth where this cycle of life remains intact - untamed and undisturbed. Natural history adventures in pristine and remote Mitchell Lake in the heart of the Cariboo Mountains Park are what memories are made of. A flight of approximately one hour by De Havilland Beaver float-plane takes you to a remote world where nature is untamed, unbroken and peaceful. 15 mile long Mitchell Lake lies like an exquisite jewel in the heart of Cariboo Mountains Park. Explore this rare temperate rain forest - an ecosystem that exists nowhere else on earth - surrounded by ancient, old growth forests, with the majestic peaks of the Cariboo Mountains and the Lunn Glacier towering overhead. Canoe the Mitchell lake circuit. Discover some truly wonderful plants and rare lichens found only in ancient forests. Hike through the ancient forest up into Engelmann spruce uplands and marvel at the diversity of nature’s landscape, plants and animals.