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The Upper Clearwater
Valley and Clearwater River Corridor are known
for the abundance of wildlife roaming the area.
Two of the most popular species in Wildlife
Viewing, the Bears and the Moose are taking
turns in inhabiting the valley.
In Springtime the bears
wake up and first feed on green grass along the
roadways and in the hay fields, then they
populate the shores of the Clearwater River in July to Mid September to feast on Salmon.
Before they go to find their winter dens they
move back into the hay fields to fill up on some
more second growth grass which is not harvested
at this altitude.
The Moose spend their
summers mostly in the high valleys and swamp
areas where food is abundant for them and human
traffic is practically non existent. When the
winter comes the deep snow chases them back down
into our valley where they find enough food to
easily survive the winter. Our average snow load
of 60 – 80 cm makes it easy for them to move
around. From December to March you can
find them roaming freely around the valley as if
they would know that a hunting ban allows them
to feel relaxed.
The Wells Gray Guest
Ranch recently purchased two neighboring ranches
with extensive hay fields. Especially these
fields are play- and feeding grounds for Black
Bear, Moose, White Tail Deer, Mule Deer, Foxes,
Coyotes, Eagles, Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Cranes
and Canada Geese. We now decided to build a
wildlife viewing shelter at the edge of a treed
area above the fields and take our guests to
enjoy viewing wildlife in their natural habitat.
There they will be comfortably seated and
enjoying breakfast while they wait for
animals to step out of the forest into the open
areas. Our knowledgeable guide will give
detailed interpretive lectures about the various species, supply
binoculars for everybody and also carry a high
powered spotting scope with tripod for everybody
to use.
SUMMER
The Morning
Sunrise :
2,5 hours incl.
champagne breakfast
$ 75.00
Trip starts at 05.30 a.m.
at the ranch office. We drive to the top of a
mountain with breathtaking views of the southern
end of Wells Gray Park where we will be sipping
coffee or a hot beverage of your choice while
enjoying the beautiful sunrise over Battle-
Table- and Trophy Mountains. After this
experience we proceed
to our wildlife viewing shelter overlooking our
vast hay meadows where we will be served a
champagne breakfast (Bagels or Croissants,
Muffins or Scrumpets, Black Forest ham, Swiss cheese,
tomatoes, cream cheese,
fruit salad, butter, jam, honey, coffee, tea, milk,
orange juice and non alcoholic champagne) and spend
the rest of the morning with wildlife
observation and interpretive talks. Binoculars
and spotting scope are provided. We return to ranch at
approx. 08.00 a.m.
This is a very popular
trip and only a limited number of participants
can be accepted. Reservations are accepted and
recommended from May 15 to June 30 when animal
activity on our fields is usually very high.
This morning tour will
only operate when there is a decent chance to
see wildlife. We do not feel comfortable to sell
this tour to our customers in bad weather
conditions or when the chance of actually seeing
wildlife is minimal or close to nil for other
reasons. Therefore the rest of the year
reservations are on a first
come, first serve basis and only accepted in
person at check in at the ranch desk or at the
Blue Grouse Country Inn. Minimum number of
participants is 4. This trip is only
available to guests of the Wells Gray Guest
Ranch and the Blue Grouse Country
Inn.
The Wildlife
Experience
- OFF THE BEATEN TRACK IN
WELLS GRAY PARK -
10 hours of hiking, exploring and
animal tracking including champagne breakfast &
lunch
$ 195.00 per person
Trip starts at 05.30 a.m.
at the ranch office. We drive to the top of a
mountain with breathtaking views of the southern
end of Wells Gray Park where we will be sipping
coffee or a hot beverage of your choice while
enjoying the beautiful sunrise over Battle-
Table- and Trophy Mountains. Then we proceed
to our wildlife viewing shelter overlooking our
vast hay meadows where we will be served a
champagne breakfast (Bagels or Croissants,
Muffins or Pastry, Black Forest ham, Swiss
cheese, tomatoes, cream cheese, fruit salad,
butter, jam, honey, coffee, tea, milk, orange
juice and non alcoholic champagne) and spend the
rest of the morning with wildlife observation
and interpretive talks. Binoculars and spotting
scope are provided.
From now on we are off the beaten track. We
will use abandoned logging roads to explore wild
backcountry and see various hidden and very
impressive waterfalls and scenic viewpoints. we
will enjoy a picnic lunch by the river and
observe bald eagles and ospreys catching their
prey. All along we will watch for animal tracks
and hope to find a black bear feasting on fish
along the river banks, deer roaming the forest
or a moose feeding in the swamp. If we
have time in
the afternoon we visit
the Clearwater Fish Hatchery and during salmon
season hike to Raft River Falls to
view the Salmon at the end of their
life’s journey. We will arrive
back at the ranch between 03.30 and 04.00 p.m. after a
definitely very exciting and adventurous day.
This tour
is all summer long an exciting adventure on its
own as we are visiting areas off the beaten
track hardly explored by regular guests of Wells
Gray Park. There is usually always some wildlife
to be seen but for bears the best month are
again May & June, also August
by the river during the salmon run and late
September when the bears are filling up on grass
again before going into hibernation. Although we
had a lot of success in the past there have been
trips with disappointing results regarding
wildlife viewing. Please be aware that we simply
cannot guarantee wildlife sightings and do not
offer refunds in such cases. We
operate this trip only on a pre - arranged
basis, therefore it is imperative to book this
trip at least 2 days before arriving in Wells
Gray Park, best at time of accommodation
reservation to guarantee your participation. The
maximum number of participants is 9 adults. For reservation please click
here.
WINTER
The Moose Tracker:
3 hours snowshoeing
including hot drink and snack $
65.00
This trip starts daily from
December to March at either 09.30 a.m. or 01.30
p.m. at your choice of accommodation in the
Upper Clearwater Valley. We drive to the
trailhead where we will be instructed in the use
of snowshoes. We then hike along a ridge with a
view of the Clearwater River Valley and Battle-,
Table-, and Trophy Mountains to the East. This
area is on the mayor migration route to the
winter feeding grounds of the many moose
populating the higher elevation valleys in the
summer. We then will rest at the a viewpoint were
moose and deer are usually seen and also enjoy a
fantastic view of the Hemp Creek Canyon Lands.
Alternate routes are the trails either to the
top of Moul Falls or to the bottom of
Dawson Falls depending on recent Moose
sightings. Your guide will teach you about animal tracks,
feeding habits and other important information.
We also loan each of the participants a pair of binoculars and
in addition the guide carries a high
powered spotting scope. We will return to the
Blue Grouse Country Inn at approx. 12.30 or 04.30
p.m..
Reservations are recommended as the
maximum number of participants is 4, minimum 2.
Larger groups are welcome but have to have own transportation.
Please ask for group rates. For reservation please click
here.
Always bring warm and
weather proof clothing and cameras with
sufficient batteries.
All rates do
not include 5% GST and gratuity for the guide
(usually 10-15%). Starting
July 01st, 2010 the tax rate changes to 12% HST
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