Road map Pacific Coast BC surrounding area (British Columbia, Canada)

As the Coast Mountains-the highest in North i America and the  third largest in the world after the Himalayas and the Andes-meet the  sea, rivers and glaciers sculpt the intricate coastline into long  slivers-steep, sheer-walled fjords that end in more than 6,000 islands  and islets. This ruggedly beautiful land is difficult to experience by  car, and was traditionally navigated by canoe, kayak, and floatplane.  Highway 20, completed in 1953, remains the lone road leading to the  Pacific. Today cruise ships from Prince Rupert and Port Hardy on  Vancouver Island bring vehicles and their passengers to explore British  Columbia's breathtaking Pacific Coast.      

Alert Bay [D5] This fishing village on tiny Cormorant Island  is rich in native cultures. The U'mista Cultural Centre displays a  collection of elaborately carved masks, baskets, and other artifacts  from pot-latches, the traditional gift-giving ceremonial feasts. Near  the center's Big House stands an impressive 53 m totem pole featuring 22  carved figures topped by a sun mask. It is considered the tallest  standing totem pole in the world.      

Bella Coola [B5] This small community at the head of Burke  Channel has been home to the Nuxalk First Nation for thousands of years;  Norwegians later settled here in 1894. The Bella Coola Valley Museum  exhibits local artifacts and recounts the area's history. Hiking and  biking trails are plentiful but rugged. Bella Coola is also the terminus  of the Alexander Mackenzie Trail, which stretches inland 420 km to  Quesnel. Mackenzie's graffiti can be seen carved in a rock in nearby  Dean Channel, accessible only by boat.      

Hagensborg [B5] The name of this town 18 km east of Bella  Coola comes from Hagen Christensen's store, which was the center of an  1890s Norwegian settlement. It is said the B.C. coast reminded the  Norwegians of their home, and the square-timbered, hand-adzed log homes  and barns and the Norwegian names of about 1,000 descendants who remain  in the Bella Coola Valley reflect this heritage. The Sons of Norway  Heritage House is a typical Norwegian home of the early 1900s.      

Telegraph Cove [D5]      

Tucked away on the eastern coast of northern Vancouver Island,  this charming boardwalk community of about a dozen permanent residents  swells in summer to some 100,000 visitors. Once the terminus of a  telegraph/telephone line hung tree to tree from Campbell River,  Telegraph Cove is famous for tours to killer-whale-watching grounds in  the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve.      

In town you can listen to the squeals and clicks of whales  piped into Killer Whale Cafe and Old Saltery Pub from the ORCA-FM  station.      

Tweedsmuir Provincial Park [B5-B6] This 9,600 km2 park is the  largest in B.C. While the northern half of the park has no road access,  Hwy 20 cuts through the southern half, where one can glimpse the peaks  of the Rainbow Range-an enormous dome of lava that has been eroded to  expose vivid colors-and the Hunlen Valley, a popular canoe circuit  consisting of a chain of seven lakes connected by Hunlen Creek. At  Turner Lake, at the end of the chain, the waters pour over Hunlen Falls  393 m to land in the Atnarko River. There are trails and campgrounds  along this canoe circuit. Heckman Pass, at an elevation of some 1,524 m,  is the highest point on the infamous Bella Coola Hill, a 10 km stretch  of switchbacks, steep dropoffs, and 18% grades that puts fear into any  driver about to ascend it from the west or descend it from the east.      

ATTRACTIONS      

ALERT BAY      

Alert Bay Library and Museum Alert Bay Art Gallery Gator Gardens Ecological Park U'mista Cultural Centre      

BELLA COOLA      

Bella Coola Valley Museum Sir Alexander Mackenzie      

Provincial Park Clayton Creek Trail and Recreational Area Thorsen Creek Petroglyphs      

HAGENSBORG      

Sons of Norway Heritage House      

Saloompt Interpretive Trail Lost Lake Trail Odegaard Falls      

TELEGRAPH COVE      

Killer Whale Cafe Old Saltery Pub Campbell River Pulp Mill Tour      

Killer-whale-watching tours