Things to do in Churchill

Churchill Travel Tips

G-Free Travel Rating

6/10

Major Airport

Winnipeg Richardson International Airport (YWG)

Official Language

English & French

Currency:

Canadian Dollar (CAD)

Power Outlets:

Types A & B

Eating Gluten Free in Churchill

Churchill is a very remote town so dining options are limited. We ate with our tour group for meals and had some hiccups with gluten free planning. We had to ask a lot of questions to verify, despite multiple reassurances that we would not have a problem. Although there were incredible gluten free brownies that made up for it…

Our top list of things to do while in Churchill

Experience the Unique and Rare Wildlife

Churchill, Manitoba is prime viewing for some of the arctic’s largest residents. In fact, the polar bears out number the residents of Churchill; and beluga viewing is becoming more popular. They also have some moose and reindeer that wander into the area but are rarely spotted by humans. Wolves also trickle into this area, but prefer the boreal forest near Thompson. So if you are interested in seeing a lot of wolves then take a 16 hour train ride to the neighboring town. On the smaller side of things are the arctic hare, arctic fox, muskrats and occasionally a wolverine. For birds, the willow ptarmigan and the snowy owl are some of the most populated.

Polar Bears

Churchill is the polar bear capital of the world and the bears love to wait on the coastline of the Hudson Bay for the ice to form. Like any wildlife viewing experience you have to be patient. While the colder weather is a signal for the bears that the ice will be coming soon, they are still VERY lazy. Keep in mind they have been fasting for months with some females fasting nearly 7 months. As temperatures continue to rise, their fasting period extends leading to smaller polar bears and less likely the mother has more than one cub. We were lucky enough to see a young female who was in the mood to entertain us for awhile. No matter what the polar bears were doing; it was absolutely mesmerizing to watch them in their natural habitat, especially when the snow was whirling around.

Polar Bear Jail

Yes, polar bears are spotted walking through town. Most are not looking for trouble but a shortcut to get where they are going. Obviously, this increases the risk of an encounter with pets or humans and that is not desired. Thus, they set traps when they need to move a polar bear to jail. If you see a trap around town that has been set, please stay clear of it. They don’t want the polar bear to become agitated and hurt itself. Once they catch the polar bear, they move them to “jail” to remain for 30 days (or until the ice forms).

Initially they fed the bears, but that taught the bears to come back looking for food. So, now the bears just sit in the dark…they purposefully make it an undesirable experience so the bears learn to give the town a wide girth. They don’t allow any visitors into the jail because they don’t want the bears to get used to humans. This is the only place in the world that has a polar bear jail. It offers great insight into how we can cohabitate without having to hurt them!

Yes, if they catch a mother they capture the cub(s) as well. This is done so the cub(s) can get the necessary nutrients to survive and also if they were separated and mom was released later she may not recognize them and neglect or injure them.

To release them the adult polar bears get sedated and helicoptered out. If it is a mom and cubs; mom gets sedated, while the cubs get to play in the back! New goal for life…play with fluffy polar bear cubs in the back of a helicopter! Just kidding…I hope this research progresses positively and we can all thrive with each other.

Booking a tour company

Mid-October to mid-November is prime bear-viewing season. When booking a tour make sure to book one that has a permit to drive in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. As of writing this only 3 companies can access that area. We used Lazy Bear Expeditions and had a fantastic time. Their name mirrors the bears’ attitude during this time…lazy! All tour groups utilize a tundra buggy to navigate the stark and expansive tundra.

These vehicles are equipped with an open observation deck and large windows to make viewing safe and easy. They also have a fireplace in them to help take the chill out of the air. During these months the temperature hovers around freezing, but the wind can be brutal as it whips around. Make sure to pack winter layers for this excursion!

Check out our video below for a glimpse into what you may see while visiting.

Belugas

We didn’t get to do this because they were already gone by the time we got there. After talking to our guides, it sounds like an extraordinary experience. The best time to see these social whales is in July and August. They are known for their striking white color and friendly nature. They often approach boats, kayaks and snorkelers, offering the rare opportunity to observe their behaviors and listen to their distinctive “songs”.

Because they like the shallow clear waters of the Churchill River Estuary, tour companies are able to offer numerous ways to view the belugas. One thing to try is the aquagliding excursion. If you don’t know what that entails don’t worry neither did I; specific to Churchill one wears snorkeling gear and lays flat on a floating mat tethered to the back of zodiac. Some tours will even bring hydrophones, so you can hear the whales communicating beneath the surface.

It is surprising all the unique opportunities this town has to offer. Plus all the research and conservation they are doing to promote these animals is remarkable.

Northern Lights

What are the Northern Lights? The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a natural light display. This occurs when particles from the sun come hurling into the earth’s atmosphere at ~45 million mph, but our magnetic field redirects them to our poles creating the fascinating dancing lights we observe.

The best time to witness this phenomena is January through March. Luckily, Churchill experiences the northern lights ~300 days of the year. All you have to do is sign up to receive a phone call from your tour company when they see the lights start dancing.

Dogsledding

This is another great immersive experience into the traditional arctic way of traveling. Often times this activity is led by local mushers who guide visitors through the unique terrain of the tundra. While you are not in control of the sled and not going for miles at a time, contrary to what the dogs wanted to do, it is still an unique experience.

During the warmer months, mushers offer “cart sledding,” where you ride on wheeled carts pulled by the dogs. This allows for a similar experience and offers a chance to learn about the dogs and how they train and are cared for. The history of this type of travel is extensive in this area and you can tell the dogs absolutely love it.

If you are there in the winter, the experience will feel authentic with the sled dogs pulling the sleds over snow-packed trails, weaving through frosty landscapes blanketed in white. Bundle up and have yourself an exhilarating ride.

Below is a little clip of our dogsledding experience with Team Wapusk.

Tour the Murals Around Town

Since you are reading this, I’m going to assume you have a good idea about where Churchill is located and how remote it is. There are only two ways to get to Churchill one is by flight and the other is by rail. So when one gets cut off it can be detrimental to a community. And that is exactly what happened. The small town was hit with uncharacteristically high spring thaws that flooded and washed away the rail line. Couple this with their port closing and loss of jobs; the isolation from the rest of Canada was felt. Then top it off with a political standoff between the Canadian government and the American company that owns the rail. Churchill was completely cut off and unable to receive goods or see family/friends who live outside of Churchill.

While they know how to make use of all available resources they aren’t able to stalk around hunting prey. In fact, they would probably become the hunted! So what happened to make this town a little brighter? Give them hope? Let them know they are not forgotten…

Know I’m Here Initiative

This initiative highlights works of art from 18 different artists from around the world. It is breathtaking to see the powerful messages they can portray in a work of art. It is another way to educate people of the heritage of the community, the crisis of climate change, and the impact of knowing you are never alone. Most of the murals are painted on a side of a building, but one lucky artist created a beautiful mural on the crashed Miss Piggy plane. A story on a story.

Below are a couple of the paintings we found most powerful:

The first picture – An abstract painting showing the complexity of living with polar bears in their habitat…painted large to make people feel small when facing the grandeur of nature.

The middle picture – Understanding the impact of global warming with arctic animals – depicting families of polar bears and belugas facing their last winter.

The last one depicts ancestral legacy with “Spirit in the water, spirit in the sky, spirit on the earth” and how we are all connected. Depicting what was passed down to us and what we will leave for the future.

Find the Wolf Sculptures

Technically, this activity is more extensive if you visit Thompson, the wolf capital of the world. They have the most statues along a 1.5 mile walkway; whereas, Winnipeg and Churchill have less than a third combined. This initiative is to bring research and conservation of these beautiful, but often feared, creatures in the spotlight. Thompson, Manitoba has won awards on their walkway showcasing a 10 foot mural of a wolf while also highlighting their heritage, culture and scenery. Thompson residents are tolerant of the wolves and their ancestors have successfully and sustainably harvested them. It is a unique and fun way to promote knowledge and bring hope to the future that one day humans and wolves can easily coexist in the same environment.

A New Outdoor Pastime

It became a GPS wolf hunt game where you were given 49 different coordinates of the wolf statues. It is challenging and will take you across 1000 miles of Manitoba, witnessing the boreal forest of Thompson, the tundra of Churchill and the many prairies of Winnipeg.

We only spotted the three in Churchill and didn’t realize it was a pastime; otherwise we would have paid attention for statues as we biked around Winnipeg. We did not have enough time to get to Thompson as it is a 16 hour train ride from Churchill. Maybe next time; if we get up here to see the belugas.

Check out the Museum

Itsanitaq Museum is not a large museum, but still a must visit. It houses a lot of Inuit carvings and artifacts that reflect on the different lifestyles that evolved over centuries. They have artifacts dating as far back as 1700 B.C. It was very interesting to learn about their lives in such a harsh environment and how they were able to coexist with some of the arctic’s fiercest creatures. Of course, similar to most establishments, the whole area surrounds a polar bear. A little souvenir shop is located at the end of the self-guided tour.

It is open year round; however, they do have limited hours in the winter.

Learn about the Conservation of the Polar Bears

Polar Bears International is not on the itinerary when booking a tour to go see these magnificent bears. However, it is a must stop. It is a great place to learn more in depth information on what is being done to help conserve the polar bears and the sea ice they survive on. It’s not a large building, but the staff are very informative and friendly. We sat there talking with them way longer than we anticipated and almost missed our visit to the museum. Lucky for us the walk to the museum was not very far. If you have extra time you should definitely stop by. It is the only bright blue building in town, so it’s hard to miss.

Sneak in a Workout

I know, who would be thinking of working out while you are on vacation? To be fair, we are trying to be healthier and while we loved walking around this town we wanted to stretch our legs out a little more. One of our guides recommended we try the Town Center Complex because they have a gym. We found they actually have a pool, curling rink and much more. The day we went the administration was not in so we couldn’t get a day pass; instead we did a little workout outside. I caught Terry in mid-lunge.

To Walk or Not to Walk

We advocate for doing a walk around town. One of the reasons mentioned above is to view the artwork, but another reason is to get out and enjoy the air. There are some precautions you should take if you are going to be doing this.

Don’t walk at night
Be aware of your surroundings. Know the nearest door to you.
- It is a known law that they don’t lock car/house doors in Churchill because someone may need to escape a polar bear.
- If you are on the beach, there is a boat designed for you to take cover in. It is made in two levels. More than likely you won’t have to climb to the 2nd level, but in case that bear is really persistent they designed the 2nd level with a wooden ladder so a full sized polar bear would just break the rung.
Listen to the Polar Bear Alert alarm – this will keep both you and the bear safe.
Take wide corners when going around buildings or other objects. Remember polar bears are known for their stalking ability.
Don’t walk on or between the big boulders…they are great nap places for the bears.

Always the best for last…EAT

Due to the fact that Churchill is very remote and the population under 1000, the dining options are limited. Like ALL other adventures you need to verify ahead of time that a gluten free diet can be accommodated. While I didn’t have to worry about some things during communication between myself and the tour company (i.e. translation mishaps) I still asked at least two times before we headed to Winnipeg. In spite of that, we brought a bunch of snacks along with us including high protein granola bars as a back up. Because it is challenging to do a polar bear tour without a tour company most your meals will be included in your tour.

Lazy Bear Café

Attached to our lodge this is where we ate all of our meals. It is hard to pay for a different meal when everything was all inclusive. The wait staff wasn’t entirely knowledgeable about which items were gluten free or could be made gluten free, but the chef and sous chef were very knowledgeable. The waitstaff always offered to verify if we had questions. We had a lengthy conversation with the head chef because his dad was visiting when we were there and was amused with the heated game of cribbage Terry and I had going on. He explained everything that could be made gluten free and if we were going to be there longer what could have been made gluten free in advance.

They had gluten free bread, buns and brownies with chocolate sauce (the most important) so the dining options were pretty good. Plus, their specials and fresh fish were always spot on. The only downfall, in our opinion, was the buffets were not labeled and we had to ask on almost every item. If they weren’t gluten free, they offered to make some (i.e. breakfast potatoes or meatballs), which was nice! Both chefs were fantastic!

Other Restaurants

Tundra Pub: While we didn’t eat here, we did stop in for drinks one night. Their food menu listed many items that could be accommodated gluten free. The restaurant had a lot of positive reviews and looks like it was utilized by other tour companies so it was very busy. The waitstaff is very attentive and went out of their way to recommend local items! The best part is they have an open mic night on Tuesdays. At about 9 pm the locals start coming in. It was a great time to see everyone out having fun. Just remember after 10 pm they don’t recommend walking so make sure to grab a taxi back to the lodge. It’s a great way to keep money circulating in their community.

Blueberry Inn: This had not opened yet when we were there. We have high hopes they will have at least a café with some gluten free options.

Polar Bear Chocolates

Lazy Bear Expeditions gives a little gift bag that has a bunch of items in it. One of them being cute little white chocolate polar bears. Since they were not labeled, Terry called the manufacturer to make sure they were safe before he dove in.

Grocery Shopping

Similar to the dining options…very limited. I believe there is only one grocery store in town and that functions like a Costco. Surprisingly, they do have a small health section that had specific gluten free items. They also had rice and a decent selection of other items that are naturally gluten free. The downside… the prices are through the roof. For example; two liters of Sprite was $6.04 ($8.46 CAD)

Polar Bear Footage

Dog Sledding Experience

Check Out More of Our Recent Adventures!

Canada