Article reprinted by kind permission
of RVers On-Line
Both for reasons of ferry fares and the challenge of some of the roadways we expected to encounter, we opted to let our fifth wheel take its own vacation -- and used our 10' Alpenlite slide-in camper for this venture. We booked mid-August passage from Port Hardy, on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, to Bella Coola, BC's only roadway link from the Province's mid-coast into the Province's interior, where it intersects the Alaska Highway at Williams Lake. There would be entirely new-to-us adventures for us on this trek. The first would be the ferry crossing itself, with several scheduled stops en route to Bella Coola. Another would be the little traveled road between Bella Coola, and Williams Lake, a distance of some 450 kilometers. There has been little RV-related information published about this remote overland passage. And what is written always warns of "The Hill", a steep gravel section which connects the coastal rain forests east of Bella Coola with the highlands of the interior coastal mountains. A portion of this trip reportedly has grades of 18%, and offers a series of switchbacks which are not for the faint of heart. With little documenting this trip for RVers, we decided that part of our mission would be to create a travelogue to benefit those who might choose to visit here at a later date. As our adventure progressed, we found much of what we'd be reporting would be of interest to those traveling by car (or even bicycle!) as well. What follows is a report of this memorable RV trip, which we've divided for ease of reading into three sections:
 When we booked passage on the ferry run from Port Hardy to Bella Coola, we began to examine some options for an interesting route that would deliver us to the Port Hardy ferry terminal on our scheduled departure date. On the theory that "getting there can be half the fun", we decided to skip the more direct routes which lead from the mainland of northwest Washington to Victoria, BC; and the direct ferry links from Vancouver, BC to either Victoria or Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Instead of taking any of these "one-hoppers", we chose a route which offered a yet another ferry tale -- the Sunshine Coast. This route led us from Vancouver, BC first to Langdale, on the mainland coast just north of the Vancouver area; and which involves yet another ferry crossing from Earle's Cove to Saltery Bay further up BC's mainland coast. The cheerful small villages along the Sunshine coast are as picturesque as any you're likely to find in North America's fiord country. And the name "Sunshine Coast" is justly deserved owing to the excellent weather that it enjoys, particularly in the summer season. To top it off, because of a warm ocean current which finds its way ashore here, swimming in the salty inland sea waters is remarkably comfortable -- which is why many from the colder water areas of British Columbia enjoy their vacations here.
At Powell River, near the north end of the Sunshine Coast, we crossed by ferry to the Vancouver Island town of Comox, less than an hour south of Campbell River (known to many as the salmon fishing capitol of the world). Interestingly, and due in part to the favorable exchange rate with the Canadian dollar, the three ferry trips which we'd taken to arrive at the mid-island Comox port was actually less expensive than had we taken our RV simply from Anacortes, Washington, directly across to the Victoria, BC area. But more than a thrifty option, the opportunity to visit the Sunshine Coast as a warm-up to the main events is an excellent investment of a few extra days' time. From earlier trips to the more northerly reaches on Vancouver Island we knew that once we'd passed through Campbell River, the population would become much more sparse -- indeed, very sparse. Our plan was to spend an evening somewhere within easy reach of the next day's departure at Port Hardy, the most northerly of the towns on Vancouver Island. In search of a place to overnight, we drove some 7 miles off the highway at the Sayward junction -- a spur road which leads to the small timber-based town of Sayward, and the adjacent port at Kelsey Bay. When we got to the neat and brightly painted little village of Sayward, we noted a very attractive public park right in the center of the village, which offered overnight accommodations for RVs and tenters. It was completely vacant on this particular Sunday night in mid-August.
But still in search of other options, we drove what was becoming a lightly traveled stretch of remote two lane highway which in due course brought us to Port McNeill, a fishing village with full services and facilities. For the night's stopover, we decided on trying the Broughton Strait Resort, some six miles north of Port McNeill, and about one kilometer off the main highway. This turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. As we entered the park, which is situated on its own stretch of rocky beach, we were surprised to see about a dozen fisherman -- all equipped with waders, and all sporting fly rods. Even more surprising was the fact that they were all reeling in salmon about as fast as they could get their hooks into the water. As it turned out, the period from late July until about the third week of August, in even numbered years, sees one of the world's best run of pink salmon in these very waters. They were schooled up, waiting for the signal to make the spawning run up the adjacent river. This resort is owned and operated by the local native band, and may be among the best kept fishing secrets on all of Vancouver Island. It is both "remote" from the more populated areas of the southern portion of Vancouver Island (and as of yet has no phone service to it), but "modern" in that it offers many full service hookup sites. Unlike many BC "fish camps" we've seen, which are often crowded and lacking in aesthetics, this RV destination has a variety of beautiful and interesting sites which are nicely spaced -- many with outstanding marine views. Larger rigs will only fit in a more traditional "loop" which is adjacent to the tidal estuary; while smaller RVs and tenters have access to a wonderful spit of land that has a portion of the inland passage at the front, and a portion of the tidal river in the back. It appeared one could walk for miles along the beach, and simply enjoy the scenery and solitude. Note: On the return trip we had more time to explore Port McNeill. The best place to start is at the unusually friendly visitor center located near the water in the center of town. Stephanie managed a brief ferry visit to Alert Bay (see her Postcard), and we wished we'd had enough time to visit the other nearby ferry served island, Sointula. The folks at the visitor's center directed us to the library next door which offers public internet access, and we enjoyed a few minutes emailing family and friends about our summary impressions of the trip, and our schedule for returning.
The next morning took us to Port Hardy, where we provisioned the RV for what we anticipated might be several days on the mainland side of the ferry crossing with uncertain opportunities for shopping -- though as we subsequently found Bella Coola has an excellent selection of almost everything we could have wanted). There are any number of tempting side trips within easy reach of Port Hardy, including Cape Scott, Port Alice, Coal Harbor to name but a few. A special find was a small business on the south end of town called "The Hardy Bouys" (their spelling), which specializes in custom fish processing, but which offers up some seafood specialties of its own. We found their offerings of smoked salmon among the very best we've found anywhere -- particularly a speciality item they call "Indian candy".
EPILOGUE: Our very active style of RVing has taken us hundreds of thousands of miles in the past 12 years -- from the Arctic tundras to many inviting destinations in Mexico; from all points along the West Coast to the Maratimes. We know of no RV trip which even comes close to this one in offering the touch and feel of exploring "the last frontier". I cannot recall another trip that we half completed, and then felt compelled to retrace our steps because where we'd just been was such an exceptional experience. We recognize this is not a trip for every RVer -- or for every RV for that matter. If RV resort living is what's favored, you'll not find it here. What you will find, however, is a vast landscape of breathtaking panoramas, both by land and by sea. And you may also conclude you've just found some of the most friendly, sincere, and helpful people along the way that you'll every find anywhere. We hope our travelogue, together with some insights offered in Stephanie's postcard "series" on the Chilcotin, can convey a bit of the flavor of what this trip offers. Continue the adventure... be sure to read: © Text copyright RVers On-Line
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