Port McNeill

Port McNeill is located 200 km (124 miles) north of Campbell River off Highway 19, or 50 km (31 miles) south of Port Hardy. A good base for exploring the North Island areas, Port McNeill offers warm, small- town hospitality and a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities. Several tour operators base themselves in Port McNeill offering diving, spelunking (caving), helicopter tours, plane tours and fishing charters. A shuttle service is operated by ferry between Port McNeill, Sointula on Malcolm Island and Alert Bay on Cormorant Island.

Spring salmon can weigh in at over 30 lb. and Halibut over 100 lb. are common. Fly-fishing is particularly good in the many streams made accessible by logging roads. Lake trout include cutthroat trout, rainbow and steelhead.

Geologists and rock collectors will be interested in several nearby natural phenomena: the Vanishing River, which plunges underground into a maze of tunnels and caves; the Devil's Bath, a huge rock bowl continuously filled by an underground spring; and the Eternal Fountain, gushing from a rock crevice. All can be reached by logging roads in the summer. Experienced caving enthusiasts will want to head 40 kilometres west of Port McNeill to the recently discovered Jurassic Cave which has 952 metres of surveyed passages. Other local attractions include the Little Huson Regional Caves, the world's largest burl weighing more than 22 tons and measuring 45 feet around. Burls result from abnormal growth development in the tree following a natural disturbance. This burl was discovered at the base of a 261- foot high, 351-year-old Sitka spruce tree in 1976.

The scenic Nimpkish Valley is located between Port McNeill and Sayward and it is by exploring the back roads that the real jewels of this unique valley can be appreciated. The valley is awe inspiring, from the 800-year-old Douglas fir trees at the ecological reserve on Nimpkish Island to the rock arches at Little Huson Regional Cave Park. The shimmering waters of Lake Klaklakama and the numerous lakes and rivers offer canoe adventures for everyone from novice to expert. Nimpkish Lake offers top-notch fresh water fishing, a 10 site campground with boat launch and is one of the best spots in British Columbia for windsurfing.

Nearby Schoen Lake Provincial Park centres around an upper elevation lake, with campsites and a boat launch nestled among picturesque mountnains. A trail along the south and east side of the lake makes a good day hike. Canoeists will find a trail along the east end of Schoen Lake which leads to Nisnak Lake and the beginning of an alpine hike up 1,000-metre Mount Schoen. Other areas of interest for the visitor to the Nimpkish Valley include a picnic site and forestry trail at Hoomak Lake, excellent swimming and fishing with a picnic area on the beach at Vernon Lake, 22 km (14 miles) off the highway. Woss Lake is another good fishing and swimming location with more than 20 camping spots. Climbers will be interested in Rugged Mountain at 1,875 metres, reached by boating to the head of Woss Lake.

Many winter and summer activities are available in Mount Cain Regional Park. Equipped with two t-bar ski lifts, "mile high" Mount Cain offers 16 downhill runs and plenty of fresh powder snow for the ski and snowboard enthusiast from mid-December to mid-April.