Nature and Wildlife

Humpback tail and back surfacing in the Prince Rupert harbour

Welcome to the Great Bear Rainforest

Rupert sits inside the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the largest temperate rainforests left on the planet. The forest, the ocean, and the wildlife don’t politely stay outside the city limits. They wander right in. Deer slow traffic and laze around in the yard like they pay rent. Ravens own the rooftops. Seals play near the docks. Humpbacks and sea lions move through the harbour like commuters. In fishing season, dozens of eagles circle above the docks as boats unload. Not staged, not rare—just Tuesday. Nature here isn’t a destination. It’s the setting.

About the rain (briefly)

Yes, it rains here. We cover that in detail on the Climate page, so we won’t belabour it. The short version: the rain is why everything around you is impossibly green, why waterfalls show up after a storm in places you didn’t know had waterfalls, and why we get more rainbows than anywhere else in Canada. The climate is mild year-round, and the season for being outside is, in practice, most of the year. You just wear a rain jacket and get on with it.

What it actually looks like

Most people who move to Rupert don’t expect what they find. They think it is remote and that means barren. We are not only not remote but we are lush and gorgeous. They get a rainforest city where the harbour is alive, the trails are five minutes from the front door, and the wildlife calendar gives you something to look forward to every month of the year.

The North Coast has one of the most intact wildlife ecosystems left in North America. Living here means sharing the landscape with animals that have disappeared from most of the continent. Some, you’ll see all the time. Some, rarely. Some, you may never see at all, but knowing they’re out there is part of what makes this place feel different.

What you’ll see

Grizzly bears

Canada’s only protected grizzly sanctuary is a day trip from yousr front door. The Khutzeymateen, 45 km northeast, is accessible by boat from May through July. Bears feed on sedge grass along the shoreline, close enough to watch properly. People fly across the world for this. You get to call it a Saturday. A reminder, in the spirit of all wildlife signage everywhere: please do not attempt to befriend the large fluffy mountain dogs. They are not large fluffy mountain dogs. Watch from the boat.

Orcas

They follow the salmon runs into local waters through summer and fall. Transient pods move through Chatham Sound. Residents occasionally spot them straight from the harbour.

Spirit bears

A white-coated black bear, found nowhere else on earth, they are rare even here. You may never see one, but knowing it’s out there in the forest around you is one of those quiet privileges of living in this part of the world.

Steller sea lions

They use the harbour like it’s their personal playground. Groups fish the shoreline regularly, and you’ll hear the deep grunting long before you see them. Easy to spot from the waterfront walkway or the Rushbrook Trail. They look like enormous wet golden retrievers and they are absolutely not. A bull Steller can hit 1,100 kg. Enjoy them from where you are.

Wolves

Wolves are present on Kaien Island and the surrounding mainland. You’re most likely to come across tracks or hear them at night. Keep dogs close on the Butze Rapids trail in particular. These are not mid-sized huskies who got lost. They will not appreciate being pet, photographed, or invited home. Admire from a distance and let them go about their wolf business.

Humpback whales

They are consistent and predictable from June through September. Peak viewing is in late August and early September as they fuel up before migrating south. Their bubble-net feeding (herding fish with rising columns of bubbles, then surfacing through the middle together) is the kind of thing you can watch for hours from a boat and still feel like you should keep watching.

Black bears

Common throughout the region and the occasional unannounced visitor in town, they are smaller than grizzlies, which is true of essentially everything. They are still bears. Pay attention on trails, especially near salmon streams in fall, and please do not try to take a selfie with one. We can’t believe we have to say it, but we do.

Sitka black-tailed deer

They slow traffic on residential streets. They graze in yards and parks. They have absolutely zero respect for your tulips and they leave little poop-pellets on your front sidewalk. For most newcomers, deer are the first wildlife moment, the one that makes it real that this place is different.

Grey whales

These whales pass through offshore in spring on their northward migration—less predictable than humpbacks but a reliable seasonal marker.

Harbour porpoise

They’re the most regularly seen cetacean in local waters—often spotted from the ferry terminal, the Rushbrook Trail, or any boat trip out of the harbour.

Eulachons

These small, oil-rich fish are so dense in fat that they can be dried and lit like a candle. Mid-February to late March, the Skeena erupts: sea lions push upstream, thousands of gulls and eagles gather, and Ts’msyen harvesters work the dip nets—a cultural and ecological event with no equal on the coast.

Bald eagles

They’re year-round residents. They concentrate near the fishing docks during salmon season, dozens overhead at once as boats unload. After a while you stop noticing them, and then one day, a visitor points one out, and you remember how extraordinary our ordinary really is.

Ravens

They own this town. Intelligent, loud, and completely unbothered by humans, ravens work the streets, the dumpsters, and the rooftops with the confidence of something that knows it was here first. Secure your garbage. They will absolutely open it and have your block looking like you hosted a dumpster party.

Getting out on the water

Fishing

The waters around Rupert are among the most productive on the B.C. coast. Behind them runs the Skeena, one of the longest undammed rivers in North America: 610 km free from the Coast Mountains to the ocean, supporting all five Pacific salmon species plus steelhead. The Skeena Chinook are among the largest in the world, with some exceeding 70 lbs. None of this is accidental. The river makes the fishery. The season runs May through September. Chinook come first, then Coho from mid-summer through fall. Halibut are around all season, with reliable catches sometimes over 100 lbs. There’s lingcod, rockfish, and red snapper for bottom fishing, and prawning on overnight charters. And the Dungeness crab in these waters is exceptional. Drop a trap on your way out of the harbour, pull it on your way back.

Learn more about local fishing

Kayaking

Kayaking around Kaien Island puts you at water level with the rocky shoreline, the kelp, the seals that surface beside the boat, and the full spectacle of a working harbour. Cargo ships, BC Ferries, fishing boats, and seaplanes all share the same water. It’s a strange and wonderful kind of beautiful.

Check out outdoor adventure options

The most memorable nature access in Rupert is almost always on the water. The harbour, the channels, the passages between islands: that’s where the landscape and the wildlife really concentrate.

Local Operators

Below is just a sampling of what we’ve got, but there’s plenty more on visitprincerupert.com

Prince Rupert Adventure Tours

Khutzeymateen grizzly bear day tours, May through July; Whale watching through September — humpbacks, orcas, grey whales, porpoises; Kaien Island circle tours and kayak drop-off service

adventuretours.ca
Located at Cow Bay Marina

Thunder 1 Adventures

Whale watching in Chatham Sound — small-group format, overnight options available

thunder1.ca

Skeena Kayaking

Kayak rentals with local route guidance for all skill levels

250-624-1921
skeenakayaking.ca

Trails for a relaxing stroll

Prince Rupert has trails for every difficulty level, and most trailheads are minutes from downtown. Rupert is on an island, so trails tend to run along the water, through old-growth forest, or both.

Easy Rated Walks

Rotary Waterfront Walkway

Easy · All abilities

A paved harbour path through Cow Bay down to Waterfront Park. Good for any pace, any age. Seals in the water, eagles overhead. On summer evenings, the sun barely sets, and the light on the harbour is worth stopping for.

Moresby Trail

Easy · 1.6 km loop · 30 minutes

A quiet loop off 2nd Avenue, circling a pond with a fish ladder. A small green space tucked into the middle of town. Perfect for clearing your head on a lunch break.

McClymont Park Trail

Easy · 1.6 km · Popular with runners

Runs along Hays Creek from the Civic Centre down to Cow Bay. A quick green connector through the city for a lunchtime run or a post-work walk.

Trails for the moderate walker

Rushbrook Trail

Easy–moderate · 1.7 km · Three suspension bridges

Starts behind the fish and chips stand at Rushbrook. Hugs the cliff edge above the water, crosses three open-deck suspension bridges, and ends at Seal Cove where seaplanes come and go. One of the most distinctive short walks in town. Recently upgraded with improved accessibility.

Butze Rapids Trail

Moderate · 5 km loop · 1.5 hours

The most-hiked trail in the area. A loop through coastal rainforest with ocean views, muskeg, wetlands, and old-growth trees. The centrepiece is a reversing tidal rapid: when the tide shifts, the water actually changes direction. Dogs welcome. Note: wolves are in this area, so keep pets close.

Trails for the ‘serious’ hiker

Tall Trees Trail

Challenging · 9 km return · 4 hours

Starts past the Butze Rapids parking lot and climbs 450 metres up Mount Oldfield through ancient Sitka spruce and red cedar. Panoramic harbour views on clear days. Bring rain gear; conditions change without notice.

Mount Hays Lookout via Kiwanis Trail

Challenging · Highest point accessible from town

Climbs through forest into subalpine meadows, past waterfalls, and up to 850 metres. On a clear day you can see the Alaskan Panhandle to the north, Haida Gwaii across Hecate Strait to the west, and the open Pacific beyond, nearly 7,000 km of nothing between you and Japan.