Changing our Name, but nothing else

Hi everyone, owing to certain unforeseen circumstances, we will change our name a little bit to our new name Bella Coola Mountain Lodge.

This also means our website will change to www.bcmountainlodge.com and our e-mail contact info will change to info@bcmountainlodge.com.

We'll keep everyone posted on these events, but as for now enjoy our blog.

After the Fall Floods

Well it has been three weeks since the floodwaters have receded from the Bella Coola Valley floor.

While our lodge was not damaged in a substantial manner, we regret that several other homes, farms and businesses did not fare so well.
Without getting into details of the flood and the aftermath, the staff and friends of Coast Mountain Lodge and Kynoch Adventures wish all of the valley residents, friends and visitors the best in the future, and a speedy recovery to regain their lives.

Being a resilient community we anticipate a full recovery to pre-flood conditions by early next year and will be operating business as usual for the remainder of 2010 in preparation for an exceptional 2011 tourism and wilderness season in Bella Coola Valley!

See you all in 2011.
Cheers, from Fraser, Holly, Annika, Alecia and staff at CML and Kynoch Adventures!

Bears, Crows and All things coastal...

It is bear viewing season in Bella Coola again and so far we are averaging 100% for Grizzly Bear viewing in Tweedsmuir Park. Our river and land based tours are proving to be the hit we know they are once again and we have had dozens of happy clients already.

Some of the bears we see are return residents from previous seasons, being cubs of mothers (sows) or young adolescents of previous years. Others are always new animals, offering new experiences for visitors and guides, but never disappointing. Today for example we bumped into a charming young bear that was more than happy to swim in front of our boat and do a little 'salmon snorkeling' demonstraion for us.

Then on the other-hand, bears don't necesarily deserve all of the glory, we also bumped into this exceptional young crow on our ec0-rafting tour. Believe me, as a guide, when you say to your guests ' hey look at me, I have a crow on my head...' you want to be able to deliver! The crow didn't dissaopoint anyone. (Yes it actually just landed on my head!).

Beat the Heat

Anyone who has visited Bella Coola in the last few weeks can agree that its like vacationing in a tropical paradise. The weather has been so hot lately, temperatures reaching above 30 c. No one is complaining but a little rain would be nice to save our browning lawns. July was our driest month on record with only 9.41mm of rain and August is looking like it is going to be the same. Thankfully no forest fires in Bella Coola this summer, a few threating thundershowers, but no fires. Keeping cool is possible in this record breaking heat. Just do what the bears do, have fun in the morning and siesta in the afternoon. Doing activites in the morning or late afternoon is best as to beat the heat. Maybe a hike up to the School House Falls or the popular Eco-Rafting tour offered by Kynoch Adventures to start the cool morning. Next head up to the Fisheries Pool and take a dip in the refreshing Atnarko River then return home for a locally caught smoked salmon feast to finish off a day in the sun.

I never know what's around the next corner in the Bella Coola Valley. I have been working at the Coast Mountain Lodge for two months now, and am continually surprised, delighted and sometimes frightened by my daily adventures. Upon my arrival I was excited to find that I could ride my bicycle to the local organic market, fish store, and secluded picnic areas. I then ventured out a little further, to some of the surrounding forest access roads. These old logging roads offer access deep into the forest, stunning vistas, and many opportunities to run into bears. Literally. If you plan on riding in the Bella Coola Valley get a group together or go with a local guide. It is advisable to ride during the mid day when bears are less likely to be feeding along the road, and make noise when approaching blind corners!

Finally, a refreshing summer rain shower

Although Bella Coola Valley is well situated within the Northern Hemisphere`s Coastal Temperate Rain Forest, (in fact, comprising the largest tract of remaining in-tact temperate rain forest on our beloved planet Earth!!!), we have been woefully short of actual RAIN this summer. That ended tonight with a short shower to dampen the earth and raise our spirits here in this coastal valley.

While temperatures have been cool most of the spring, recent weeks have seen normal summer highs with the mercury hovering around a comfortable 22-26 Degrees C. Salmon streams are a little low, but not at a level that would be of concern for fish migration, and the mainstem of the Bella Coola River is moderately low, as the glaciers of the Taltchako icefield in the Coast Mountains have been spared from much of the solar radiation in early spring-summer, preventing massive melts of the largest non-polar icefield in the world! Yay Icefields!!!

Until later, Coast Mountain Lodge ...

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables... & Bears

Ya the Tittle may echo Old Punk, but the message is clearly New Age.... lets help get our fruit off of the residential trees and bushes of Bella Coola Vallay before the bears are attracted to it and become food conditioned, which is ultimately a bad thing.

Bella Coola Valley is striving to become a Bear Smart Community, limiting negative interactions between bears and humans, and protecting bears and humans from uncomfortable interactions.

There are six criteria that need to be satisfied for a district or municipality to achieve "Bear Smart" status:

1/ Prepare a Bear Hazard Assessment using the criteria outlined.

2/ Prepare a bear-human conflict management plan designed to

address the bear hazards and land-use conflicts identified in the

hazard assessment.

3/ Revise planning and decision-making documents to be

consistent with the bear-human conflict management plan.

4/ Implement a continuing education program directed at all sectors

of the community.

5/ Develop and maintain a bear-proof municipal solid waste

management system.

6/ Implement "Bear Smart" bylaws prohibiting the provision of

food to bears as a result of intent, neglect, or irresponsible

management of attractants.

While it is a challenge to incorporate these types of ecological and sustainable ideas into a newly flourishing tourism-based community, several locals are trying their best and we hope to see a swing towards bear-human sustainability in our small yet pristine ecosystem in the near future.

Bella Coola's Coast Mountain lodge and Kynoch Adventures does its part by ridding trees of excess fruit, keeping a clean lodge grounds and exposing visitors to natural wonders of the rain forest ecosystem that will hopefully inspire them to maintain proper bear-etiquette..

Atnarko River Bear and Wilderness Tours

With ever increasing interest in the Bella Coola Valley and the incredible wilderness experiences of the Great Bear Rainforest and Tweedsmuir Park, which flank our lodge to the west and east... it seemed logical that we incorporate interpretive hikes in Tweedsmuir Park as part of our holiday and adventure tourism packages in Bella Coola Valley.

With a local naturalist as a guide and the westcoast wilderness as a backdrop, let your imagination run wild in pristine grizzly bear habitat and endulge yourself on an unforgetable experience and chance to see wildlife, untouched forests, soaring mountain peeks and swooping eagles of the Bella Coola Valley!

These guided hiking tours are available for private (2 guest) or group tours (max 4 guests) by reservation. Please contact Coast Mountain Lodge to reserve a spot for your land-based Bella Coola ecological-wildlife excursion!

Swift Water rescue Guide Training

As our guides and lodge staff and friends are also active members in Bella Coola Valley Search and Rescue, we had a great opportunity to host an SRT Level 1 Swift Water Rescue course in Early June! Thanks to Craig and all of the folks at Raven rescue for making this a success. BCVSAR and Coast Mountain Lodge would also like to thank all of the business and tourism operators of Bella Coola Valley for their support in funding and in-kind donations.

With guides trained in wilderness first aid, swiftwater rescue, bear viewing and other search and rescue techniques Kynoch Adventures and Coast Mountain Lodge aims to provide safe, respectful memorable ans sustainable tourism opportunities for visitors to BC's remote central coast.

See you soon in Bella Coola!

Bears of the Bella Coola Valley

With the spring vegetation in full blossom and a variety of succulent plants available, black and grizzly bears are browsing on their favorite spring greens! Lots of locals and tourists have been seeing black bears fairly regularly, and a few grizzly bears have been seen as well!

Bella Coola valley is home to dozens of grizzly bears and likely hundreds of resident or regional black bears! With these animals in close proximity to the town and homes their sightings are all part of a trip to Bella Coola. These animals also share their space with cougars, wolves, deer, beavers and other iconic Canadian wildlife!

Tours that we offer through Coast Mountain Lodge and Kynoch Adventures are the perfect opportunity for a chance to see these and other creatures of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Spring News & more on Sustainability

With the recent release of West Coast Adventures TV Bella Coola Episode (May 12 and re-airing May 30), we expect great publicity for our region! Way to GO West Coast Adventure Team (Danny, Susie and Scott!). The full episode can be viewed at westcoastadventurestv.com. Look for Season 2, Episode 5 for some fun clips.


Eco-rafting season has started again and we are looking forward to training upgrades for staff and guides, including Swift Water Rescue training provided by Raven Rescue in Bella Coola this spring.

Holly also completed her Bear Viewing Guide course at Night Inlet this spring and we are pleased to welcome new staff to Coast Mountain Lodge! Alecia has joined our team and Annika is back for the summer so we expect to have a well rounded contingent of staff and leaders to assist guests for 2010.

Our lodge is also gaining ETHOS sustainability certification as a commitment to our sustainability pledges and to make guests' visits more enjoyable. Stay tuned as this certification unfolds! Recent addition of our property to the BC Ferries Holiday booking program is also proving to be beneficial in promoting our region and sending customers to us!

2010 sustainability!

2010 is proving to be a pivotal point in our regions eco-toursim industry, with more and more interest from travelers from the world over coming to see our last remaining areas of intact coastal rainforests and true wilderness valleys.

To better prepare ourselves for sustainable tourism we at Coast Mountain Lodge and Kynoch Adventures have joined forces with BC Wilderness Tourism Association (BCWTA) and the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of BC (CBVA); two of the most prominent advocacy groups for promoting sustainable tourism.

Working under the mandates of these operations will help us make the decisions as we grow that will keep our area wild and beautiful for all visitors.

We hope these steps are the beginning of a regional awakening by all operators of the importance of protecting our tourism, ecological and social resources of British Columbia!

See you on the water in Bella Coola!

Spring In Bella Coola Valley.

Spring is definitely in the air in Bella Coola Valley. Recently shrubs and small plants that the early spring grizzly and black bears thrive on have started budding and leafing out. With the snow slowly retreating back up the mountains it signals the end of another busy heli-ski season and time to get prepared for wilderness and wildlife eco-tours at Coast Mountain Lodge.

We expect our first river tours over the Easter weekend which is a little earlier than before, but the region is growing in toursim interests as a 'wilderness destination getaway' and we are more than happy to share the best Bella Coola has to offer!



Whether you are looking for a peaceful vacation in a remote unexplored area, or wish to hike, travel and meet experience new adventures alone or in a group, we can likely arrange something that would suite your needs in Bella Coola.

Bella Coola Blog: Rain

Bella Coola Blog: Rain

Yoga retreat in Bella Coola Valley

Bella Coola's Coast Mountain Lodge and Bella Coola Yogis are pleased to announce a Yoga Retreat in Bella Coola from February 16 to 21, 2010.

This BCVT news article has more details.

Bella Coola Valley a ‘Natural’ for Yoga Retreats

An instructional Yoga Retreat will be held in Bella Coola between February 16 and 21, 2010 and will be open to all participants interested in practicing or learning about Yoga.

Taking place in the peaceful mountain surroundings of the Bella Coola Valley, our February 2010 yoga retreat promises instruction to beginners and accomplished yogis alike as well as a workshop for our local yoga leaders to hone their technique in sharing the beauty and vitality of yoga practice with others. With a qualified visiting instructor from a Vancouver BC Yoga Studio, this retreat promises to be a success.

Join us for this transformational practice in a valley where connection to nature and community are strong and the deeply inspiring natural energy of our Pacific coastal river valley location is bound to move your spirit.

For information contact Monicat Tutt at 250-799-5607.

2010 Winter & Spring Trout Fishing Looking Promising!!

News from Bella Coola rivers suggests a great trout fishing season, and Coast Mountain Lodge offers a great fishing special!!!

Bella Coola’s healthy coastal rivers and streams promise to produce another strong and sustainable sport trout-fishing recreational opportunity for avid fly fishers on BC’s Central Coast. With mild winter temperatures from December through February, it is expected that some salmon fry will be hatching a little bit early, prompting the sea-run cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, and resident rainbow trout to be seeking the hatching salmon fry early this year. Look for sheens of silver salmon fry heading to the ocean in early April through May and expect great trout fishing for novice to intermediate skill levels; experts beware, this will be a fishing overload!

Expert anglers know to use a silver-minnow pattern with a sinking leader to mimic the hatch. But does anyone know where the Dolly Varden got its name, and why it is the only BC coastal fish whose name has capital letters? The reason is that in the late 1890’s Charles Dickens' wrote a novel called Barnaby Rudge in which there appears a character named Dolly Varden that often wore a pink polka-dotted dress that apparently resembled the natural colouring of the ‘Dolly Varden Trout’. There forward the Dolly Varden was so named…

Gearing up for spring season

We will again be gearing up for a new season with a new menu for our dining guests, a new tour roster for our touring guests, and always a new adventure for our returning guests. We have made several improvements to our lodge over the last season and have made new arrangements with our established tour operators to provide everyone with a memorable Bella Coola Experience!

See you in 2010, Fraser and Holly
Lets all Give to Haiti, it is what we should do.

Short Slide Show

A few slides from tours in 2009, Happy New Year and see you in 2010.

Off to Mexico

Well on November 7 we had our first snowfall in Bella Coola Valley, so that signaled the official end of the tourist season until the Heli Ski crowd arrives in February. Holly and I will be taking a trip to Mexico to explore the Copper Canyon for a few weeks.

Hope everyone comes back in 2010!

Training Day for all of the guides in Bella Coola

On Oct 21 and 22, 2009 Kynoch Adventures Guides' took part in a 2-day training program sanctioned by the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of BC to refresh our training and standards to be sure they were commensurate with other operators in the province. We were surprised how well all of the Bella Coola Grizzly viewing guides did on this course, reaffirming we are industry leaders in conservation, ecology and tourism activities. This voluntary re-fresher course was offered by BC Parks.

Course material included guide certification, bear habits, ecology, best managment practices and a variety of other bear and tourism related management scenarios. The trip ended with a raft tour down our beloved Atnarko River to review the protocols and procedures that all Bella Coola Grizzly Bear Tour Guides uphold!

Kynoch Adventures and Coast Mountain Lodge will be offering Bella Coola grizzly tours again in 2010!!! Check our website www.coastmountainlodge.com for more information on these grizzly bear tours and other tourism activities we offer in Bella Coola Valley BC Canada!