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| Sightseeing in the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. |
“How long is the drive into town?” I ask the young woman
sitting across from me on a small shuttle bus parked in front of the sliding
glass doors of the Prince Rupert Airport.
“You can’t drive into town. We’re
on an island so we have to take a ferry,” says the woman who looks amused by my
question. “Not many people know that when they first come here.”
Packed full of people, the bus
eventually takes off and drives five minutes before loading onto a small ferry with
a school bus and a handful of cars. The 20-minute journey takes us into the
sheltered waters of the Prince Rupert harbour – the deepest natural harbour in
North America.
A string of giant cranes for the
town’s booming shipping industry loom high above the water at one end of the
town. Four massive cargo ships sit empty in the expansive harbour surrounded by
mountains coated with trees. Snowy peaks sparkle in the distance, revealing a
wild, unspoiled landscape that ignites my sense of adventure. Here’s how to
spend three days exploring the Prince Rupert area.
Day one:
With a maze of sheltered inlets home to a variety of wildlife,
the Prince Rupert area is a kayaker’s dream. I immediately head 20 km east of
town to Kloiya Bay, which is the base for Skeena Kayaking, and meet up with my
guide Mike for a two-hour tour. The water is calm, allowing me to paddle with
ease to the mouth of a nearby inlet, where we stop for a rest. My eyes continually
scan the rocky shoreline for any bears, eagles, seals, and colourful jellyfish often
seen in the area. Today, however, I see nothing but ocean, mountains and trees.
“You don’t have to go far here to get into the wilderness,”
says Mike, noting we’re the only ones on the water during a long weekend. “There’s
no crowded parking lots, no crowds. It’s a pristine place.”
Back in town, I check out the Museum of Northern B.C. to
learn about the region’s natural and cultural heritage. Located in a large
cedarwood longhouse, the museum explores the lives of the Northwest Coastal
People, from ancient times to the 20th century, and has an
impressive collection of artifacts, like a unique headdress made of mountain
goat horn and abalone shell. Along the waterfront, the Kwinitsa Railway Museum
traces the development of early Prince Rupert, which began as a tent town at
the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and became a city in the 1920s.
I spend the evening feasting on fresh halibut at the Crest
Hotel’s Waterfront Restaurant, where seafood is a staple on the international
menu. The elegant four-star hotel is also a fantastic place to spend the night and
enjoy views of the harbour. Some rooms have window seats and binoculars for
wildlife viewing.
Day two:
Getting up early is not something I ever enjoy, but watching
the sunrise on Prince Rupert’s harbour from the window seat of my room at the
Crest Hotel is worth a wake up call. So is hopping on a boat at 7 am with
Prince Rupert Adventure Tours and cruising 45 km northeast of town to the
remote Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary.
Located along a peaceful inlet lined with coastal mountains,
the sanctuary was the first area in Canada protected specifically for grizzly
bears and their habitat. The area is now home to more than 50 bears that are often
seen wandering along the shoreline.
Eager to see wildlife, I grab a pair of binoculars offered
to guests on board the mighty Inside Passage – a 72-foot catamaran with outer
decks and floor to ceiling glass windows that’s capable of carrying 100
passengers. We soon spot our first bear with three cubs strolling along the
shore, but they quickly scamper into the trees. It doesn’t take long before we
spot the next bear, then four more further down the shore, setting off a wave of
excitement amongst the tourists on board. The whole tour takes about seven hours, but time flies when
you’re staring out the window, getting lost in the beautiful scenery with the
odd humpback whale and sea lions sprinkled in between.
Back in town, I drive 12 km south to the small community of Port
Edward (population 544) for a night at the Cassiar Cannery along the Inverness
Passage. During the late 1800s, the area was home to dozens of thriving salmon
canneries that provided thousands of jobs to a multicultural work force of
fisherman, boat builders and cannery workers.
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| Cassiar Cannary near the small community of Port Edward. |
Cassiar was fully operational for
more than 80 years before it closed in the 1980s, marking the last operating
salmon cannery in the region. The site has been undergoing restoration since
2006 and includes the original dock that used to house most of the old cannery.
There are also four beautifully restored waterfront heritage guesthouses that
were the former homes of the cannery managers. Spending the night in one of
them, watching the sunset on Inverness Passage, is a unique experience.
“It’s really rewarding watching Cassiar come back to life,”
says former Vancouver resident Justine Crawford, who purchased the abandoned
cannery with her husband. “I love walking down the yard at night and hearing
the laughter of people. We saved this place.”
Day three:
A five-minute drive from Cassiar is the North Pacific
Cannery National Historic Site, where I stop to take a two-hour guided tour
before heading back to Prince Rupert for my final day of exploring. The cannery
is impressive and has several restored historical buildings set on wood
pilings, along with the intricate machinery used when business was booming.
Established in 1889, North Pacific is the oldest remaining salmon cannery on
the west coast of North America and ran continuously for almost 100 years,
employing hundreds of Chinese, First Nations, Japanese and Europeans as
fishers, cannery workers and support staff who lived on site during salmon
season. The last can of salmon was sealed in 1968, but the site continued to
operate as a maintenance and reduction facility until 1981.
“I am always in awe of the site and more importantly of the
diverse nations that were impacted by this very important industry,” says Ann
Leach, general manager of the North Pacific Cannery, as we walk through a large
room lined with old fishing nets. “It’s a people’s story. One lived quite
differently, depending on your nationality and age.”
Back in Prince Rupert, I take a stroll through the tiny shopping
district of Cow Bay, which consists of gift shops, an art gallery, a few restaurants
and coffee shops, a craft brewery, marina, and the visitor information centre.
The town is easy to walk around, allowing time to admire some of the colourful
murals of whales, crabs, eagles and bears painted on the side of various buildings.
I end the day with a quick hike along Rushbrook Trail, located
a short walk from Cow Bay. The forested trail is an easy 3 km round trip that
follows the harbour shoreline and is one of several hiking trails in the area.
Leaving Prince Rupert, I feel rejuvenated and ready to dive
back into the hectic pace of life. Prince Rupert is a place to come and unplug
for a few days, connect with nature, and learn about the rich history of
northwest B.C.
If you go: Air
Canada offers regularly scheduled flights from Vancouver to Prince Rupert,
which takes about two hours. If you have time, contact one of the many sport
fishing guides to experience what Prince Rupert is known for - epic salmon and
halibut fishing. The drive between Prince Rupert and Terrace is also
spectacular. For more information about Prince Rupert visit https://visitprincerupert.com/#hp_header
-- published by the Vancouver Sun in July 2019: https://vancouversun.com/travel/local-travel/head-to-prince-rupert-for-history-and-adventure