Acton Ostry Architects

Owned and operated by the Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation, Spirit Bear Lodge offers access to spectacular wildlife viewing, stunning landscapes, and cultural sites in the heart of The Great Bear Rainforest. Based on the design of a traditional longhouse, the lodge serves as home base for world-class wildlife viewing expeditions in the quest for the illusive Spirit Bear. The hub of the lodge is the great room, where communal meals are shared, expeditions are organized and the day’s experiences are exchanged with other guests. Sleeping quarters overlook the water, where humpbacks and orca regularly swim up the strait. The success of Spirit Bear Lodge is reflected through three expansions undertaken since its opening.

project

Spirit Bear Lodge

location

Klemtu, BC

client

Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation

completion

2007, 2011, 2016, 2022

size

904 sm

approach by water.

approach by water

sustainability

LEED Gold equivalent

approach by air.

approach by air

Architecturally designed, the exterior of the Lodge pays homage to the traditional long houses build for thousands of years by west coast First Nations, with soaring ocean views and spectacular Tsimshian art.

Coast Funds

oceanside deck.

oceanside deck

dining.

dining

lounge.

lounge

dining hall addition.

dining hall addition

sleeping quarters.

sleeping quarters

great room.

great room

expedition dock.

expedition dock

expedition guides.

expedition guides

whale sighting.

whale sighting

Spirit Bear expedition.

Spirit Bear expedition

Spirit Bear cub.

Spirit Bear cub

Spirit Bear Lodge has won the Indigenous Adventure Award at the 2017 International Aboriginal Tourism Awards. The awards recognize and honour Aboriginal tourism leaders from across Canada. Spirit Bear Lodge is an internationally significant model for community-based ecotourism that is returning profits to the Kitasoo/Xai’xais nation, helping to reawaken their culture, and conserving their ancestral territory.

Coast Funds