Encompassing a quarter of the world’s coastal temperate rainforest, the Great Bear Rainforest stretches along the central and northern coasts of British Columbia.
The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world, boasting more than six million hectares (16 million acres). The area’s incredible biodiversity is protected to maintain its ecological integrity, including 1,000-year-old spruce and cedar trees.
The rainforest is home to the Kermode, or “Spirit” bear, a black bear with all-white fur. The creature’s dramatic colour is caused by a recessive gene, and it’s estimated to occur in one in 10 bears of the area. Stories of the bear are woven into the legends of the local Indigenous Peoples who have lived in this area for millennia.
Great Bear Rainforest
Many of the small communities in the area are accessible only by ferry, boat, or plane, while Highway 20 reaches the coast at Bella Coola.
Experience Providers in the Great Bear Rainforest
Spirit/Kermode Bear in the Great Bear Rainforest
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