Taking your boat to Northern British Columbia means leaving The Broughtons or North Vancouver Island to head up Queen Charlotte Strait around Cape Caution before rediscovering calmer waters. To those with the time and inclination, the journey to Prince Rupert is a special experience. The scenery is magnificent, the population is small, the fishing can be exceptional, and you can even take a warm soak at one of several hot springs.
Be prepared and self-reliant as there are few marinas and services for pleasure boats. With the right outlook, be glad the facilities are there and expect them to be a little rough and more expensive. Having staff on hand to take your lines as you land is impractical. The flip side is that this is an area with few boats. You can anchor in bays surrounded by wind-swept granite-faced islands, or explore the deep-water inlets of the Fiordland Recreation Area where mountains rise steeply from the ocean floor. With few other boats around, many of these anchorages will be all yours!
Top Destinations
Blunden Harbour to Slingsby Channel
Allison Harbour • Miles Inlet • Nakwakto Rapids
Smith Sound
Table Island • Millbrook Cove • Ahclakerho Channel
Rivers Inlet & Fish Egg Inlet
Dawsons Landing • Fury Cove
Fitz Hugh Sound & Fisher Channel
Pruth Bay • Ocean Falls • Shearwater
Burke & Dean Channels, Bella Coola
Eucott Hot Springs • Elcho Harbour
Seaforth Channel & Milbanke Sound
Roscoe Inlet • Reid & Jackson Passages • Fiordland
Finlayson Channel to Prince Rupert
Klemtu • Butedale • Bishop Bay • Hartley Bay
Plan Out Your Trip
The Northern B.C. Coast is fully covered in the latest Waggoner Cruising Guide. It provides all you need about marinas, anchorages, passages, and attractions. Plan your day’s route with the guide’s detailed planning maps. Get your copy of the Waggoner Cruising Guide book!
Plus, there’s more to help you plan a great cruise through Northern British Columbia. Read on…
In Search of Bears and Salmon Runs – Part III
This article, a third in the series, starts where we left Brian & Laura DeNault in the Broughtons in search of bears and salmon runs. Next stop? – a lesser-known anchorage called Dong Chong Bay on the north shore of Hanson Island, an island located between...
Removal of the Trutch Island Name from Charts by Canadian Hydrographic Service
The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) has announced that they are removing the name of Trutch Island from charts but has not yet provided a replacement name. Trutch Island is a small island located in Estavan Sound and is part of the Estevan Group of islands on the...
New National Marine Conservation Area – Central BC Coast
Six BC First Nations and the Governments of Canada and British Columbia recently announced the establishment of a National Marine Conservation Area Reserve (NMCAR) on the Central Coast of British Columbia. The Reserve spans an enormous area, covering more than half of...
Recorded Whale Songs and Communications
As boaters we occasionally get to see whales when sailing or cruising to our planned destinations, but how often do we get to hear the songs, clicks, and eerie sounds shared between whales? You can do just that by connecting with BC Whales and the crew of Around the...
Coral Reef Discovered in Finlayson Channel, British Columbia
Who would have guessed that a coral reef could be present in the waters of Northern B.C.? With the help of the Kitasoo and Heiltsuk First Nations, scientists have confirmed a small, unique coral reef about 200 meters below the water surface on Finlayson Channel,...
Where Can I See a Kermode Bear?
Who doesn’t love seeing bears in their natural habitat? Boaters are among the lucky few who can observe bears on land from the safety and distance of their vessel. Vessels maintaining the appropriate distance also help ensure that bears won’t be displaced from their...
Mischief Beyond Nakwakto Rapids, Finding Solitude Off the Beaten Path
For more than 10 years, our 40-foot pilothouse trawler Mischief has been both our comfortable home-away-from-home and our magic carpet to new places. We especially love beautiful scenery and opportunities to anchor all alone. Being beyond signs of civilization is...
Big Changes at Kitimat – New Waterway Guidelines
Construction of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Kitimat BC is nearing completion and represents the largest private sector investment in Canadian history. Flaring, an integral part of maintenance and startup, is expected to begin in 2023, with a workforce...
Memorial Pole Repatriation Efforts by the Nisga’a Nation
The Nisga’a people of the Nass Valley in British Columbia are seeking the return of a memorial pole that was taken in 1929 by ethnographer Marius Barbeau, who later sold it to the National Museum of Scotland. This was the period (1885-1951) during which the potlatch...
Fiordland and Khutze Conservancies in Northern BC
Fiordland Conservancy. British Columbia’s impressive Fiordland encompasses Kynoch Inlet and Mussel Inlet along with their estuaries and the surrounding soaring peaks of the Coast Mountains. The Fiordland Conservancy is a massive scenic wilderness, covering nearly...
Tula Foundation Hakai Institue Appointed by United Nations as the Northeast Pacific Ocean Research Collaborative Center
Boaters who have plied the waters of Northern British Columbia and who have visited Pruth Bay undoubtedly remember the beautiful beaches found in the area. Most importantly, Pruth Bay is home to the Hakai Institute ecological observatory. Boaters who have used the...
New Ownership at Historic Shearwater Resort
Craig Widsten, founder of Shearwater Marine Group, announced that he has sold the assets of his marine business at historic Shearwater Resort. The Marine Division of Shearwater has been sold to Central Coast Marine Services Ltd., owned by Don McNeice. Don plans to...
The Ghost Town of Namu on Fitz Hugh Sound
Tucked in a cove at the confluence of the Burke Channel and Fitz Hugh Sound in Northern British Columbia is the ghost town of Namu. The village of Namu was once an active hub for the fishing industry and had a population of 400 cannery workers and other personnel,...
A Wild, Remote World on Campania Island
The first time we saw Campania Island was when we departed our anchorage in Surf Inlet in Northern British Columbia, heading due west on a trip to Haida Gwaii. As we passed Campania Island, we commented on how the island reminded us of the movie, Jurassic Park – the...
North Pacific Cannery Museum on the Skeena
Imagine a century ago, when hundreds of fishing boats would be out on the Skeena and Nass Rivers for 4-5 days per week, 24 hours per day during the salmon runs, in all kinds of weather and sea conditions. Tender boats would shuttle the salmon catch back to the docks...