Vancouver Island

[Doomrider74]

Hi folks.

I'll be in Port Hardy for 3 full days + two [half] travel days in June. I'm doing a sea otter and whale watching boat trip on one of those days, but I'm looking for other areas to explore at the north end of the island. I'll have my SUV, so driving to locations is fine.

I did a similar trip in September of last year but stayed in the Port Hardy area for the whole time. This time, I'd like to explore a little more, maybe venture to the west coast, if possible.

Does anyone have any recommendations for wildlife locations in that region?

 

[Replytoken]

Tofino and Ucluelet may be of interest. Some surfing there (don't ask me why) but lots of shoreline. Both town are quite tiny, but there are place to stay, and I believe camp, along the water. Worth a day trip or an overnighter.

--Ken

 

[Doomrider74]

Tofino and Ucluelet may be of interest. Some surfing there (don't ask me why) but lots of shoreline. Both town are quite tiny, but there are place to stay, and I believe camp, along the water. Worth a day trip or an overnighter.

--Ken

Thanks, but Tofino is nearly a 6hr drive south of Port Hardy and I'd rather stay around the north end of the island.

 

[Replytoken]

Thanks, but Tofino is nearly a 6hr drive south of Port Hardy and I'd rather stay around the north end of the island.

Don't know much about the north end of the island, but I do not believe there are a lot of roads that will take you to the west (south) side up around there. You might have better choices down around Campbell River area.

Safe travels,

--Ken

 

[raptor photo]

Black bear tours, and maybe even a day trip to the Great Bear rainforest

 

[wotan1]

I know a lot about Vancouver Island, I have been all over.

Port Hardy is at the end of the road and there is not that much up there that I am aware of in terms of ready to reach land destinations.

In addition the west coast of Vancouver Island is very much wilderness and you can't drive down that side. The west coast is rocky and stormy and it is definitely not a particularly safe or pleasant place to take a boat.

All of the great attractions at Pt Hardy are based on the water, and there is a lot to see there. You can boat safely from there and there are a lot of channels and islands. For the most part boating up there is pretty safe, but you should check the currents and weather forecast and get local advice.

I would suggest looking into chartering a boat for another day or two and doing some cruising around up there. There are a lot of marine mammals all through the islands as well as all sorts of sea birds.

There is a particular place, Nakwato Rapids, that is quite remarkable. It is across the channel to the north on the mainland side. It is famous for having the most extreme currents in the world. At max ebb currents have gotten as strong as 16 knots.

For years I used to go and stay at a dive resort up there called God's Pocket. We would drive up, leave our car in Port Hardy and get a boat ride out to the "resort" which was a small place on a small island about 12 miles from Port Hardy. The place was nothing but some rooms for sleeping, a short boardwalk, a room where we hung out between dives and a galley where they served meals.

We went out twice a day by boat to dive and it was the most amazing place for diving. Great visibility and abundant life, kind of like an underwater rain forest.

We explored all around there by boat. Eagles everywhere, I think I saw several dozen just hanging out at one location.

If you had the time you could take a ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, the boat goes up a lot of inner channels and it is quite a lot of wilderness. Not many people live up there and there are no roads into that area.

There is marvelous boating to the south across from Campbell River, a place called Desolation Sound. It is a favorite cruising destination, for years I used to go there every summer by sailboat.

Look for more days on a boat.

 

[Flyboy]

My wife and I took a whale watching trip to Friday Harbor. We told the Captain "Cue the Whales"...didn't work. Got a sunburn and a nice boat trip, tho.

 

[wotan1]

My wife and I took a whale watching trip to Friday Harbor. We told the Captain "Cue the Whales"...didn't work. Got a sunburn and a nice boat trip, tho.

For those who don't know the area, there is a world of difference both in climate and wildlife.

Friday Harbor is in the San Juan Islands which is in the US. It is in the rain shadow of the Olympic mountain range and its summers can be dry sunny and warm. The islands are very popular and boat traffic is heavy. Native marine life including whales are under pressure.

The northern tip of Vancouver Island where Port Hardy is located is an entirely different world. It tends to be cold cloudy and rainy most of the time. Not popular for humans but wildlife including marine mammals love it. In the absence of pressure from human activity wildlife is thriving and there is a lot to see.

You are more likely to get moss overgrowth in Port Hardy than sunburn.

 

[Barbara]

There are bear watching day trips that leave from a variety of locations including Telegraph Cove and Campbell River; look up bear watching on the internet. I highly looking into ones that go to the Homalco First Nation reserve, though it may be a little early to see bears there.

 

[Doomrider74]

There are bear watching day trips that leave from a variety of locations including Telegraph Cove and Campbell River; look up bear watching on the internet. I highly looking into ones that go to the Homalco First Nation reserve, though it may be a little early to see bears there.

I'm doing one with them in September when my parents come over to visit.

 

[wotan1]

I looked at some of the bear watching opportunities that are advertised on line.

A lot depends on the time of the year. The bears hibernate in the winter and go to varying locations depending on food sources during the year. Local knowledge would be very important.

There are tour groups that operate from nearby towns such as Telegraph Bay.

Most of them either go up Bute or Knight Inlet. I looked at the schedule for the Campbell River based trips (Homalco) and they are not even scheduling bear specific trips in June. Most of the prime viewing days are in the fall when the salmon are running.

I don't think you will find any practical opportunities for bears in June for a three day trip to Port Hardy.

You are going to have better luck with the marine mammals and birds.

 

[Doomrider74]

I looked at some of the bear watching opportunities that are advertised on line.

A lot depends on the time of the year. The bears hibernate in the winter and go to varying locations depending on food sources during the year. Local knowledge would be very important.

There are tour groups that operate from nearby towns such as Telegraph Bay.

Most of them either go up Bute or Knight Inlet. I looked at the schedule for the Campbell River based trips (Homalco) and they are not even scheduling bear specific trips in June. Most of the prime viewing days are in the fall when the salmon are running.

I don't think you will find any practical opportunities for bears in June for a three day trip to Port Hardy.

You are going to have better luck with the marine mammals and birds.

I'm not particularly looking for bears. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I can photograph black bears all day long 15 minutes from my home on the mainland.