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…
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...
Nakwakto Rapids and Belize Inlet
If you are looking for a much less-traveled area with remote anchorage and intriguing, majestic scenery, the labyrinth of waterways lying southeast of Cape Caution is the place to be. How often do boaters on their way to or from Southeast Alaska focus on getting...
2018 Waggoner Guided Flotilla, Part 2: Port McNeill to Ketchikan
We departed in a misty rain which covered the top of the nearby mountains. We cruised up to the majestic Kynoch Falls where all of the boats and crews passed in front of the falls for their trip picture. This area is called Fjordland due to the deep and steep fjords. Mother nature showed off her rainy best with waterfalls all along the way. Impressive. The evening was spent in light rain in Windy Bay, which was very calm despite its name. Read more about the Waggoner Guide Flotilla to Southeast Alaska in 2018.
