Wells Gray for Birdwatchers,
Wildlife Viewing, and Wild Flora
    Birdwatching:

    All areas of Wells Gray seem to get a good selection of smaller
    native species... Varied Thrushes, Grossbeaks, Swallows, etc. As
    well as larger birds like Spruce Grouse and Ruffed Grouse.

    Specific areas get more impressive birds, here's few locations and
    species of note:

    Osprey: There are at least 3 nesting pairs on Clearwater and
    Azure Lakes every year. Ask the boat crew or boat tour
    operators for general locations on nests.  Murtle Lake has over a
    dozen nesting pairs, easily visible from locations like the canoe
    launch.

    Bald Eagles: Often seen in the fall on both the Clearwater and
    North Thompson Rivers during the Salmon run. Possibly nesting
    pairs on Murtle Lake. Solo eagles are often seen fishing at the
    north end of Clearwater Lake as well

    Herons and Cranes: Both are frequently spotted inside the park
    at the Ray Farm, in the river channel between Clearwater and
    Azure lakes, and in Murtle lagoon. Outside the park, they make
    regular appearances in the fields near Helmcken Falls Lodge and
    the Wells Gray Guest Ranch.  

    Owls:  Greys, Great Horned, Barn, and Screech owls have all
    been spotted or heard, a very wild sight or sound to experience!
    Resident owls can be found sometimes in the old growth areas
    near 4 1/2 Mile Campground, Caribou Beach, and Rainbow Falls.
    A sighting is considered a lucky experience, they are very good at
    hiding and are very wary of intruders.

    Rare Waterfowl: Harlequin Ducks and Wood Ducks make
    nesting season appearances on Murtle Lake and in the river
    channel.

    Loons, Grebes, and Mergansers are common on all park lakes,
    especially Murtle.  Loons can often be seen in flocks of a dozen or
    more on Murtle Lake, something not common elsewhere. One
    flotilla of over 70 birds was counted last summer - the noise was
    deafening!

    Hummingbirds: Both Rufous and Calliope varieties are found in
    the park, with the latter being much rarer. Good places to spot
    them are around Helmcken Falls Lodge, and at the Ray Farm.
    Mammals big and small
    Bears: Bears are everywhere!  Keep your eyes open for Black
    Bears from dawn to dusk in every part of the park, and along every
    roadway in the North Thompson Valley. I can honestly say that I
    have seen bears in every part of Wells Gray, from the high alpine to
    the middle of lakes...so, be Bear Aware.

    Our Black Bears are not all black! They range in colour from
    blonde, to cinnamon, to chocolate brown, and several shades of
    black. Some look almost dark blue in the right light.

    Grizzly Bears are rare and much harder to encounter. Alpine
    meadows are the most common area to see one, like the Trophy,
    Battle, and Phillips Lake areas. Even then sightings are rare. A recent
    count placed the Grizzly population in Wells Gray at well over 100
    animals.

    Deer: Deer are also common throughout the park, mostly Mule
    Deer (big ears), with a few Whitetail Deer now moving into the area.
    Whitetails are often paler in hair colour than the Mule Deer, have a
    narrower face, and flash a white tail when alarmed, hence the name.
    Mule deer are shrub browsers

    Moose: Moose are common in the park, but hard to spot. They
    are a very reclusive animal compared to the deer, and to see one,
    you usually have to catch them by surprise along one of the park
    roadways. Seeing a moose in Wells Gray in summer is a lucky
    experience, treasure it if you do.

    Winter Moose watching on Green Mountain is possible at the pullout
    on the hill between Wells Gray Air and Helmcken Falls Lodge. Bring
    binoculars and look across at Green Mountain - if you see a black
    speck that moves, odds are it is a moose...I've seen up to eight in
    one morning on this slope.

    Caribou and Mountain Goats: Both are found in Wells
    Gray, but both are very rare sights. People come across migrating
    animals by chance on alpine hikes, and even sometimes in the valley
    bottoms. Goat populations exist on the mountain tops on both sides
    of Azure Lake, and in select areas around Murtle.  Last summer, a
    Bighorn sheep was spotted several times near Clearwater Lake
    Campground - very unusual.   

    Foxes, Wolves, and Coyotes: All three are common to the
    park. Foxes are seen frequently along roadways in the region and
    come in colours from red to black, plus many shades and
    combinations in between. An average fox is just a bit taller than a
    large house cat, and is noted for a tail that is often as long as its body
    and very bushy.

    Coyotes, slightly larger, are almost always gray or brownish grey.
    Coyotes are comparable in size to a medium dog, like a Springer
    Spaniel. Coyotes hunt mice and Ground Squirrels among other
    things. Watch for them mousing in farmer's fields.

    Wolves are more often heard than seen.  Several resident packs are
    believed to live around Murtle, Clearwater and Azure Lakes, and on
    the highlands in between the three. I've only seen 2 wolves in 18
    years in Wells Gray Park, but I've heard their mournful call dozens of
    times on the lakes, and seen their tracks in soft lakeside mud.

    Cougars and Lynx: Both cats reside in the park, but are very
    rare sights, consider yourself lucky if you see either.

    Beaver, Otters, and Muskrats:  All three reside in Wells
    Gray and area. Several beaver ponds and lodges can be seen along
    the North Thompson River, in Shadow Lake, Alice Lake, and the
    Stillwater area.  

    Otters are migrant animals, and can occasionally be seen playing on
    the big lakes and rivers. I've seen them in Clearwater and Azure
    Lakes, and in the Clearwater and North Thompson Rivers.

    Muskrats can be found almost anywhere in smaller lakes in the valley
    bottoms. Muskrat houses, piles of matted grass, are common in
    Murtle Lagoon.

    Smaller Mammals:  Snowshoe Hares, Pine Marten, Fisher, Mink,
    Ground Squirrels, Pack Rats, Skunks, various mice, and voles all
    inhabit Wells Gray and Area. The only one you have to really be
    aware of is the skunk. Don't get too close, or you may smell for days
    - this is one of the reasons we tell you to keep your dog on a leash.
    The other is the porcupine population in Wells Gray...
This tree on Easter Bluff trail has been
stripped of bark by a porcupine.
Bear claw scarred Birch tree on Whale
Lake Trail - this tree has scarring that
goes back nearly 30 years.
    Flora: Towering Cedars to Avalanche
    Lilies.
    Wells Gray is a botanist's heaven. Entire books can and have been
    written on the botanical life of Wells Gray, so I won't go into huge detail
    here.

    There are the Trophy and Battle Mountain alpine meadows, which
    flower in two waves between late June and August.

    The sides of the roads throughout the region have some form of
    wildflower in bloom from June until August.

    You have marshlands like Placid Lake, Murtle Lake and the Ray Farm
    which are home to both Ladyslipper (June 25th at Placid is good) and
    Fairyslipper Orchids, plus dozens of other flower species and interesting
    plants.

    There are old growth Cedars at Spahats, Bailey's Chute, Placid Lake,
    the Clearwater Lake boat launch, and Rainbow Falls, just to name a few
    locations. Plus, you have every other tree species from Birch to
    Hemlock to Pine to Sub-alpine Fir.  Interesting tree mixes can be found
    on the Placid Lake Trail (monster Cottonwoods, Spruce, and Cedars),
    on the Bailey's Chute Trail, and around Ray Farm.