So why was I making the trip to this community of 800 year round residents? Well, in addition to its importance to the commerce of Manitoba, it’s also known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World. Every fall as the polar bears migrate back onto the ice to hunt seal, tourists have the opportunity to see these great white mammals in their natural habitat. Add to this the Northern Lights, Eskimo Museum and a chance to take a dog sled ride and you have the perfect cold-weather adventure.
Churchill’s History
Europeans first arrived in the area in 1619 when a Danish expedition wintered here at the mouth of the Churchill River. Only 3 of the 64 expedition members survived the winter and they returned to Denmark. They were followed by the Hudson Bay Company. In 1717 the first permanent settlement was built and named after John Churchill who was governor of the Hudson Bay Company in the late 17th century. The settlement was built mostly to capitalize on the fur trade.
The best way to visit Churchill, learn its history and see the polar bears is on an organized tour. I chose Churchill Nature Tours.
On the first day we headed for the heliport to take a helicopter ride over the frozen tundra. After flying over the Prince of Wales Fort, built between 1731 and 1741 by the British, we headed out over Hudson Bay where we saw several polar bears and their cubs.
The next two days were spent in a tundra buggy. In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps established a base five miles east of the town. After World War II, the base was jointly operated by Canada and the United States for experimental and training purposes and was in operation until the mid-1960s. The roads created by the Army Corp of Engineers are the ones the tundra buggies follow as drivers and tour guides look for polar bears that often come right up to the vehicles.
On the final day, we visited the Eskimo Museum featuring beautiful works of art created over the past several centuries to keep the history of the aboriginal history and culture alive.
Our final adventure was a trip into the boreal forest where we met Wapusk Adventures’ owner David Daley. He explained his “love and respect” dog training, and the sport of dogsled racing. We were able to take a dogsled ride after which we were introduced to three week old puppies.
If you go:
Churchill is famous for its polar bears in the winter and beluga whales in the summer. It is also a renowned birding destination.
If you plan to visit in the winter, make sure you have proper clothing. The day we went out on the dog sleds, it was 5 below zero Fahrenheit with a wind chill of 35 below zero. I chose LL Bean outerwear because it is rated for the coldest conditions. Layers are the key to keeping warm. Two layers of long underwear, wool socks, ski boots and ski pants, a parka or long coat rated at 35 to 50 below zero, face covering, hat, scarves and gloves covered by mittens are a must. For more information: www.llbean.com.
Tour groups are small and often sell out. Make your plans early. For more information: www.churchillnaturetours.com.
For information about other sites in Manitoba: www.travelmanitoba.com.
This trip has been on my bucket list for some time. Thanks for providing the vendor, by the way! It’s only weather, PortMoresby — that’s what warm clothes are made for.
It’s a rare opportunity to see these magnificent animals in such numbers, and so very up close. They are massive mammals, males weighing up to 1500 pounds (700 kg). They are also one of the few animals in the world that will actively hunt man for food. Lions are the other species, I believe.
I’ve not been to Churchill, but I’m told the town has “polar bear shelters” on its streets — places into which you can enter to protect yourself in case a bear wanders down the same street. Did you see any of these?
I believe the polar bear viewing season is limited to just a few weeks. The bears wait on the shore of Hudson Bay Oct-Nov for it to freeze over. When the ice is solid enough, they head out on to the Bay to hunt for seals. That’s where they’ll be right now.
But we have these great images to enjoy. Thanks for this fascinating post.
Great article. Thank you. Churchill is high on my bucket list.
Was there any evidence of Global Warming ?
Any anecdotes from the locals?
Was there anything you wished you’d taken – but hadn’t ?
I presume the locals don’t travel south that often – or do they ?
You’re blog gives a fresh insight into the area – very interesting.
It is all but impossible to get trustworthy data on this from anyone. On the one hand, the alarmists want us to think the world is ending and the polar bears are at the brink of extinction. On the other, we hear polar bear populations are growing at a robust rate, like in this article in the National Post. On the one hand we hear the ice pack has all but disappeared and on the other we read articles that the Arctic ice pack is showing recovery, but not nearly as well as the Antarctic ice pack.
These are serious and important scientific matters that should require careful trustworthy study. As a scientist myself, I am seriously bothered by the insertion of politics and politcal agendas into science.
So Garry, the honest answer is that we don’t know. The good news is that Marilyn’s bears are out on frozen Hudson Bay ice hunting seals, like they have for thousands of years. If you’d like to see where some of them are, here’s a link to some tracking data.
After testing my cold tolerance living in Montreal for 2 winters (note how I count the 2 years I lived there), I’m happy to witness your adventure from the comfort of my California home. And a fine adventure it is. Thanks, Marilyn, beautifully done.
One of the best things about reading travel blogs is getting a better, perhaps more real, view of things. All my mental images of polar bears are really cartoonish…sitting on sea ice or performing in Coke commercials, etc. To see your pictures of them, and their proximity to human habitation, gives me a different view—at the same time less exotic and more special. Thank you!
The National Wildlife Federation article I’ve linked HERE provides some information on your question, Garry. The sea ice on which polar bears live and hunt a good part of the year has been shrinking rapidly in recent years, leading to loss of habitat, population decline and behavior changes. They are perhaps the species most affected by global climate change.