Grizzly Bear on Alaska Highway
A sound and alert “Wildlife Radar” system is essential for all outdoor adventures in Canada!
For those traveling the country via our highways and backcountry roads there is no shortage of wildlife sightings. But… sometimes the sightings take a keen eye and a heightened sense of awareness to spot and this is what we refer to as our “Wildlife Radar”.
An important reminder is that no wildlife sighting is proven without evidence – the one that got away does not fly when it comes to bragging about wildlife you saw. Make sure your camera and/or video are primed and ready for action.
Many of Canada’s sightseeing driving tours are well recognized for their wildlife sightings. In many areas you do not even have to leave the vehicle. This is good. However… in most cases it is wise not to leave your vehicle anyway as wildlife is very unpredictable. And… for all the brains in the world… do not try to feed them or try to pet them. &%$*@?
Moose Sighting on Alaska Highway
Every province and territory provide self guided driving routes. There are so many to list that I could talk for months.
But… hands down – keeping it simple – one of the best sightseeing driving tours we have ever embarked on was the Alaska Highway in British Columbia and the Yukon Territories. It is the one paved sightseeing driving route which treated us to a particularly high number of wildlife sightings while exploring the region by vehicle.
The Alaska Highway is a 2,451 kilometre (1523 mi.) long paved road starting from Mile “0” in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and finishing in Delta Junction, Alaska, U.S.A. It is a famous highway recognized as the “16th Wonder of the Engineered World”.
For all intensive purposes the self guided driving route is divided into 3 sections. (1) Dawson Creek, BC – Fort Nelson, BC (consists of forest and rivers) (2) Fort Nelson, BC – Watson Lake, Yukon (consists of high mountain ridges, forest and alpine lakes) (3) Watson Lake – Delta Junction, Alaska, U.S.A. (consists of mountain peaks, raging rivers and alpine lakes). All three sections require a good, reliable “Wildlife Radar” system.
Black Bear Sighting on Alaska Highway
You see… in this part of Canada wildlife is everywhere. They roam freely, sometimes grazing on the side of the road, sometimes sprawled out on the warm highway pavement and sometimes watching from a high mountain ridge above. Regardless… having a keen sense of awareness of wildlife is important.
“Wildlife Radar” is the ability to spot wildlife in all circumstances while driving the highways and backcountry roads of Canada. An alert “Wildlife Radar” system is an essential tool for spotting wildlife on the Alaska Highway.
During our travels on the Alaska Highway we have encountered and spotted wildlife including :
Black Bear : The Black Bear has poor eyesight , but it more than compensates that shortcoming with a extremely good sense of smell and hearing. The Black Bear eats mainly plant matter, but is also growing more and more comfortable with meat and human disposal products. Do not approach.
Grizzly Bear : The grizzly bear is the second largest land animal in North America. It is the king of the woods in Canada. It is identified by the large shoulder hump, its extremely long front claws and the its large head.
Herd of Bison on Alaska Highway
Bison : Bison, referred to as buffalo, are massive animals with a shaggy dark brown coat and often surrounded by a cloud of black flies constantly batting them away with their tails and by rolling on the ground.
Moose : The moose is a massive animal – the largest of the deer family standing 5 – 7 feet tall possessing a keen sense of smell and hearing. They eat leaves, twigs and water plants usually in the early mornings and throughout the late evenings.
Mountain Goats : The British Columbia mountain goat from afar is a beautiful animal to observe in their white coats. They are mountain adventurers navigating mountain slopes high in the alpine regions of BC.
Bighorn Sheep : The bighorn sheep lives on mountain ridges and peaks. It survives on grasses in alpine meadows and on mountain slopes. This mountain slopes provide the bighorn sheep protection from weather and predators. The bighorn sheep has a hard outer rim on the edge of each hoof. In the centre is a soft area which gives the sheep excellent traction on mountain terrain.
Enjoy your sightings and also try to plan for some quality time visiting the many lookouts, alpine lakes and parks.