By boat
Grizzlies of the Great Bear
From late summer, charters head east to the Knight Inlet estuary where coastal grizzlies fish for salmon — one of the most reliable bear-viewing experiences in the world.
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North Vancouver Island · British Columbia
Port Hardy
The end of the road on Vancouver Island, where the ferry north begins.
- Best time
- May – September; pack rain gear in any season.
- Getting there
- 5 hr drive north from Nanaimo, or fly via Pacific Coastal from Vancouver.
- Suggested stay
- 1 – 2 nights
- Known for
- Inside Passage ferry · Cape Scott Provincial Park · Telegraph Cove
A portrait of Port Hardy
An essential stop.
At the top of Vancouver Island where Highway 19 finally runs out, Port Hardy is a working fishing port, the doorway to the Inside Passage ferry, and base for some of the wildest coastline in the country — Cape Scott, the Broughton Archipelago, and Kwakwaka'wakw cultural communities.
Field notes
Three ways to feel the place.
On the map
The six places
to anchor your trip.
A tour through the icons and the under-the-radar corners — laid out the way a local would walk you through.
- 1
Bear Cove Ferry Terminal
BC Ferries' Inside Passage sails 15 hours north to Prince Rupert.
- 2
Cape Scott Park
Wild beaches, settler ruins, and the iconic San Josef Bay sea stacks.
- 3
Telegraph Cove
Boardwalk village south of town, base for whale-watching and grizzly tours.
- 4
Storey's Beach
Crescent of sand with eagles overhead and views to Hardy Bay.
Bear Cove Ferry Terminal
Cape Scott Park
Telegraph Cove
Storey's Beach
N
Year-round
Port Hardy through the seasons.
Spring
Herring spawn turns the inlets milk-white and humpbacks return.
Summer
Whale-watching peaks; orca pods reliable in Johnstone Strait.
Autumn
Salmon runs draw grizzlies to estuaries and eagles to the rivers.
Winter
Storm-watching from heated cabins and steelhead fishing on island rivers.
Insider tips
From people who live there.
- 01
Book the Inside Passage ferry months ahead in summer for the sailings with daylight north.
- 02
Detour through Port McNeill for the U'mista Cultural Centre at Alert Bay — essential.
- 03
Cape Scott's San Josef Bay is a 45-min walk from the road and one of BC's most beautiful beaches.
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