Travel ideas on the Central Coast range from short walks to waterfalls to a multi-day canoe trip. There are also ferry connections, a historic long-distance hiking trail, opportunities to observe wildlife, and places with a history of their own. If you’re looking for hotels, start by deciding what you want to focus on and when you’d like to travel: the destinations described vary significantly in the duration of their activities and the travel options mentioned.
Getting Around and Trails in the Region
Ferries from the Bella Bella terminal connect to Port Hardy and Prince Rupert, with onward connections to Shearwater, Ocean Falls and Bella Coola. Routes and bookings may change, so check the latest schedules and booking information for the legs of your journey. This is useful before you finalize the rest of your travel plans.
Tweedsmuir Park can be reached by the Discovery Coast Passage Ferry, by floatplane, or via backcountry hiking trails. These different access options give you different ways to plan your journey. The Alexander Mackenzie Heritage (Grease) Trail, meanwhile, is a historic long-distance hiking route through the wilderness. It ends at Sir Alexander Mackenzie Park, which is reached by boat.
From Short Walks to a Canoe Trip
The trail descriptions vary considerably in scale and time required. At Clayton Falls Recreation Site, a 200-metre trail leads to the waterfalls; there is also a 300-metre park loop and a viewing platform. The two distances refer to different trail features. The Lost Lake Trail is listed as two kilometres each way. This moderately challenging trail passes through old-growth forest to a small lake and viewpoints overlooking the valley. The round trip is four kilometres. Trail conditions can change, so check them before your visit.
The Turner Lake Canoe Circuit, by contrast, is a three- to five-day canoe trip through a dramatic mountain landscape south of Highway 20. The options therefore range from trails with stated distances to a trip lasting several days. If you’re planning how long to travel, this difference is a useful point of reference: a trip to the waterfalls, the Lost Lake Trail and the canoe trip each require a different amount of time.
River Landscapes and Wildlife Viewing
Belarko Wildlife Viewing Area is jointly managed by BC Parks and the Nuxalk Nation. The Bella Coola Estuary Conservancy includes the estuary where the fresh water of the Bella Coola River flows into the North Bank Arm. In Tweedsmuir Park, salmon, char, trout and whitefish are caught in the Bella Coola and Atnarko rivers. These places appeal to different nature interests: wildlife viewing, an estuary and fishing.
History and Longer Routes
The Bella Coola Museum is housed in a former schoolhouse and surveyor’s residence built in 1892. At the end of the Alexander Mackenzie Heritage (Grease) Trail, Sir Alexander Mackenzie Park is also home to a rock bearing an inscription by Alexander Mackenzie dated 1793. The museum, hiking trail and inscription each offer a different connection to history: a building with a former use, a route through the wilderness and a tangible piece of evidence in the park.
For a broader sense of the area, the Great Bear Circle Route passes through the Great Bear Rainforest and the Bella Coola Valley. Its route logistics may change. If you’re including the route in your travel plans, check the latest information.
Plan a Stay That Fits Your Trip
Match your preferred travel dates to this plan and include the ferry connections relevant to your trip.
Discover more destinations: Bella Bella, Bella Coola, Denny Island, Hagensborg, Stuie, Fraser Valley, Skeena-Queen Charlotte, Comox Valley.
For the broader travel overview: British Columbia.
