Prince Rupert, Northern British Columbia

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Map of Prince Rupert
Map of Queen Charlotte Islands

• North Pacific Cannery, Prince Rupert, BC

  Step back in time and enjoy the colour and flavour of life at British Columbia's oldest surviving salmon cannery. Visit the old canning lines, then stroll the cedar boardwalks and docks along the river's edge to the messhouse, bunkhouses, cannery store, net loft and offices of the historical North Pacific Cannery in Port Edward. Built in 1889, it was a functioning cannery until 1968, and was declared a National Historic Site in 1985.

• View exhibits in the Great Hall of the Museum of Northern British Columbia; displays that portray Northwest Coast history and culture dating back to the last ice age. Witness the legacy of oral history, archaeological discoveries and unique artifacts that depict ten thousand years of ancient lifeways. Located on the oceanfront overlooking Prince Rupert Harbour, the museum also reveals the dramatic history of the more recent period, including the power of the fur trade and the heyday of railway construction.

• Kwinitsa Station Railway Museum, Prince Rupert

  Built in 1911, Kwinitsa Station was one of 400 identical rail stations along the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway from Winnipeg to Prince Rupert. Today, this fascinating structure is one of only four surviving stations, and serves as the Kwinitsa Station Railway Museum, telling the story of early Prince Rupert and the role of the railway in its development. The Firehall Museum also awaits those wanting to learn about the past.

• Visit the First Nations Carving Shed and view some of the finest carvers of northwest First Nations art working on copper, silver, gold, cedar and argillite (carved exclusively by members of the Haida Nation).

• Prince Rupert has one of the best collections of standing totem poles in the north, with excellent examples of both Tsimshian and Haida totem poles. Guided walking tours are available.

• Sail through time on an Archaeological Harbour Tour and discover why Prince Rupert has the highest concentration of archaeological sites anywhere in North America. The voyage begins at the Museum for an introduction before setting sail for the First Nations village of Metlakatla, on the Tsimpsean Peninsula. Returning through Venn Passage to Dodge Cove, visitors will hear the incredible 10,000 year history of this engaging cove, from the earliest Tsimshian village to the establishment of a quarantine hospital.

• Prince Rupert Courthouse, Prince Rupert, BC

  Explore the colourful history of BC's first planned city on a Heritage Walking Tour led by a personality from Prince Rupert's past. This walk, operated by the Museum of Northern BC, includes the telling of local tales and stops at heritage buildings and historic points. Escorted bus tours and totem pole tours to see the wonderful examples of aboriginal art are also available.

• Look for the Shoe Tree II - this old western red cedar now bears hundreds of shoes, sneakers, sandals and boots. The quirky footwear-decorated home for lost soles is just four kilometres from town, on the coastal side of Kaien island. Shoe Tree I is located on northern Vancouver Island, west of Port Hardy on the road to Holberg.

• VIA Rail Canada runs from Vancouver to Jasper in the BC Rockies, and back to the Pacific Coast at Prince Rupert, with an overnight stop in Prince George. VIA Rail Canada connects at several cross-border crossings with Amtrak, for continuing rail travel through North America. Today's VIA Rail network and services offer outstanding travel options, whatever your budget or destination. Whether you're on a coast-to-coast adventure or on an Inter-city hop, VIA Rail's trains will take you there in comfort and style.

• The protected waterways of the island-studded northwest coast offer fine coastal cruising, wildlife viewing, and whale watching.

• Docks at Prince Rupert Government Wharf

  Ocean sportfishing is available most months of the year in the Prince Rupert area, with the season generally running from late April to late September. Anglers hook chinook salmon averaging 25 to 30 lbs, and some at 40 to 60 lbs, from mid-April to early August. Coho salmon, smaller than chinook but great fighters, come through from mid-July to mid-October. Pink salmon are caught from mid-July to late August and provide excellent angling in years of good returns. The world record chum salmon of 35 lbs was caught in the area in 1995. Halibut fishing is at its peak from May to September, with a complete closure in January. Rockfish are generally available year round, and crabbing for dungeoness crabs is also very popular.

• Freshwater angling for sport fish is available in nearby lakes and rivers, with the Skeena River peaking from early July to mid-September, depending on the species. Rainbow, cutthroat and dolly varden are caught in the lakes and streams from early spring to late fall. Fishing in British Columbia.

• Flat-water river kayaking or canoeing on various tributaries of the Skeena River is a great way to immerse yourself in some of the most spectacular mountain scenery on the BC west coast. The Ecstall and Kasiks Rivers are both spectacular.

• Princess Royal Island is best known as being home to the legendary white Kermode Bear, Spirit Bear of the North Coast of British Columbia. These magnificent bears are not found anywhere else in the entire world.

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