1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die (134 page)

The Okanagan Valley is Western Canada’s oldest and principal grape-growing region.

W
HERE
: Kelowna is 245 miles/395 km east of Vancouver.
Visitor info:
Tel 800-663-4345 or 250-861-1515;
www.tourismkelowna.com
.
O
KANAGAN
W
INE
C
OUNTRY
T
OURS
: Tel 866-689-9463 or 250-868-9463;
www.okwinetours.com
.
Cost:
from US$49/C$55 for 3-hour tour.
Q
UAILS’
G
ATE
: Kelowna. Tel 800-420-9463 or 250-769-4451;
www.quailsgate.com
.
When:
winery tours and Old Vines
Patio, May–Oct.
Cost:
dinner US$40/C$45.
M
ISSION
H
ILL
W
INERY
: Westbank. Tel 250-768-7611;
www.missionhillwinery.com
.
Cost:
dinner US$40/C$45.
F
RESCO
R
ESTAURANT
: Kelowna. Tel 250-868-8805.
Cost:
dinner US$57/C$65.
H
OTEL
E
LDORADO
: Kelowna. Tel 250-763-7500;
www.eldoradokelowna.com
.
Cost:
from US$79/C$89 (off-peak), from US$151/C$169 (peak).
B
EST TIMES
: May–Oct for weather; early Oct for the Wine Festival throughout Okanagan Valley (
www.owfs.com
).

A Dream Float Through B.C.’s Coastal Archipelago

Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, British Columbia

The misty islands and rugged fjords of British Columbia’s Pacific coast are nearly inaccessible to all but fishing vessels and private yachts. To glimpse the region’s fabled coastal rain forests, towering mountains,
and abundant marine wildlife—a wealth of orcas, porpoises, seals, and bald eagles—many travelers join the cruise ships that travel the Inside Passage, a protected navigational channel squeezed between coastal islands and the mainland from north of Vancouver Island north to Alaska (the Alaskan stretch promises a different experience; see p. 917). While a cruise ship tour of the Inside Passage is a wonderful way to experience this coastal wilderness, alternatives that require less money and less time can easily be added onto a loop trip around British Columbia with a little advance planning. And the results can be just as rewarding.

BC Ferries have plied the dramatic waters of Canada’s Inside Passage for over 45 years.

BC Ferries operates a regularly scheduled car and passenger ferry between Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert, B.C.’s northernmost coastal city. This 304-mile route negotiates the Inside Passage, following the same route as Alaska-bound cruise ships. Make this 15-hour journey in midsummer, when days are very long at this northern latitude, and nearly the entire sailing is in daylight (the ferry sets sail at 7:30
A.M
.).

From Port Hardy, the ferry initially crosses open sea before entering the actual Inside Passage north of Bella Bella. As the ferry slips behind mountainous islands, the passage between them and the mainland is very narrow—often less than a mile wide. The scenery is extraordinarily dramatic: Black cliffs drop thousands of feet directly into the channel, notched with hanging glacial valleys and fringed with forests. Powerful waterfalls shoot from dizzying heights into the sea. Eagles float along thermal drafts, and porpoises cavort in the ferry’s wake. Even in poor conditions (the weather is very unpredictable here), this is an amazing trip.

From mid-May to early October, the ferry makes the journey north one day, returning
south the next (the service gradually drops to one trip per week in mid-winter). Although the ferry doesn’t offer the luxury of the average cruise ship, it does provide a cafeteria, snack bar, and buffet-style dining.

Arriving in the mainland fishing port of Prince Rupert, travelers will discover the city is not the end of the road but rather is a gateway to more travels in the north. The
Queen of the North
is just one leg in a series of fascinating loop tours around the Pacific Northwest. From here, VIA Rail trains and the Yellowhead Highway head east to Prince George and Jasper (see p. 1034). Alaska Marine Highway ferries stop in Prince Rupert on their way north to Alaska and BC Ferries leave here for the even more remote and mystical Queen Charlotte Islands (see next page). Once infected by the lure of the north, you’ll want to see it all.

W
HERE
: Port Hardy is 312 miles/504km north of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
Visitor info:
Tel 800-663-8843 or 250-561-0432;
www.nbctourism.com
.
BC F
ERRIES
: Tel 888-223-3779 or 250-386-3431;
www.bcferries.com
.
Cost:
Port Hardy to/from mainland Prince Rupert, foot passenger one-way from US$53/C$59 (off-peak), from US$99/C$111 (peak); car one-way US$124/C$139 (off-peak), US$234/C$263 (peak).
B
EST TIMES
: June and July for the longest days; Aug–Sept for weather.

A Spectacular Fishing Resort Afloat in Wilderness

Princess Royal Island, British Columbia

King Pacific Lodge scarcely fits the typical image of backcountry fishing lodge. Seemingly thousands of miles from anywhere, it is a floating luxury hotel anchored in pristine waters next to a remote island in the
Great Bear Rain Forest—some of the Pacific’s most isolated coastline. The lodge is reached only by boat or floatplane, yet the level of comfort, service, and sophistication here surpasses that of many small hotels in urban settings.

While saltwater fishing at the lodge is fantastic and remains the impetus for many a visit to this elegant outpost, the pleasures of a stay at King Pacific Lodge go far beyond the adventure of landing a tough-fighting coho salmon. The three-story 15,000-square-foot lodge is built upon the skeleton of a former navy barge, using natural and Native components for construction and decor, and the 17 guest rooms are decorated with Native art and handsome, handcrafted cedar furniture. From the lodge’s wrap-around decks, cheerful with flowering pots, guests watch diving eagles and the bobbing heads of curious seals. Meals are as splendid and subtly luxurious as the lodge
itself. Chef Perry North finds inspiration in local ingredients—fresh-caught fish and seafood, local berries and mushrooms—to create a B.C. coastal cuisine of great finesse.

The luxurious King Pacific Lodge sits in the midst of absolute wilderness.

Beyond the comforts of King Pacific Lodge, the wondrous marine setting and opportunities for adventure beckon. Lodge guides lead daily fishing trips out to quiet bays and inlets where the chances of catching that fish of a lifetime are excellent.

Non-anglers can laze on the beach, join guides to explore the island by sea kayak, or hike the woods to discover the rain forest’s mossy secrets with naturalists. Helicopters stand ready for flightseeing trips or for transport to remote mountain rivers, where guests can fly-fish for homebound salmon. The woods hereabouts are home to the rare Kermode or “Spirit” bear, a white-pigmented black bear, and in early autumn Native guides lead trips to view these exceptional creatures.

After a day of adventure, guests return to the lodge to share stories, savor an excellent meal, and enjoy a sundowner drink on the wide open deck while darkness settles onto the islands and waters. There’s only one last appointment to attend to: a restorative treatment or massage in the lodge’s new spa.

W
HERE
: 56 miles/90 km south of Prince Rupert, via floatplane. Tel 888-592-5464 or 604-987-5452;
www.kingpacificlodge.com
.
C
OST
: 3-night lodge packages from US$4,200/C$4,715 per person, double occupancy, includes transfer from Vancouver, meals, open bar, guided hiking, kayaking, cultural tours, and saltwater fishing. Spa treatments and helicopter flight time extra.
W
HEN
: late May–early Oct.
B
EST TIME
: Aug for peak coho fishing season.

The Galapagos of Canada

British Columbia

The remote and little-known Queen Charlotte Islands—also called by their Native name Haida Gwaii (Islands of the People)—are the homeland of the Haida people, and an incredibly rich preserve of biological diversity.
Situated 80 nautical miles off the coast of British Columbia and long isolated, this 150-island archipelago has evolved its own endemic species and subspecies of flora and fauna: From black bears to deer mice, many of the animals differ genetically from their mainland cousins. Considered by many to be the Pacific Northwest’s “Galapagos Islands,” the Queen Charlottes are home to an estimated 1.5 million nesting seabirds, a quarter of British Columbia’s population of peregrine falcons, and major runs of salmon. About 6,000 people live on the islands, mostly on northerly Graham Island, and about half of them are Haida.

The islands’ deep forests and protected bays have been home to the Haida for more than 10,000 years. Legendary seafarers, they were masterful carvers of totem and house poles, masks, and other ceremonial objects. After contact with European explorers, the Haida were decimated by smallpox and other diseases, and their once magnificent villages were deserted and left for the forest to reclaim.

To protect the islands’ unique human and natural history, the Canadian government in
conjunction with the Council of the Haida Nation has preserved the southern portion of Moresby Island, the second largest in the archipelago, as Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. The parkland is primordial and beautiful, dominated by giant old-growth cedar, spruce, and hemlock, completely untouched by modern logging, but the most interesting areas—the abandoned Haida villages—are accessible only by boat. For most people, just about the only way to visit the park is by arranging to join a guide or out-fitter on a multiday kayaking or boating excursion. The veteran park-sanctioned outfitter Butterfly Tours offers eight-day kayaking tours appropriate for both novice and experienced kayakers, which visit abandoned villages plus the island’s rugged outer coastline. Or consider one of Butterfly Tours’ eight-day “mothership” excursions, in which an 80-foot motorized sailboat serves as floating base camp for day kayak explorations. At the end of the day, kayakers return to the ship for gourmet meals and the comfort of private, heated staterooms.