There's a bracing tang of salt and fish on the air in
PRINCE RUPERT
, a distinctive port that comes as an invigorating relief after the run of characterless villages out of Prince George. A good-looking place, similar in appearance to a Scottish fishing town, it looks out over an archipelago of islands and is ringed by mountains that tumble to the sea along a beautiful fjord-cut coastline. A crowd of cars, backpackers and RVs washes daily through its streets off the
Alaska, Queen Charlotte
and
Port Hardy ferries
, complementing the seafront's vibrant activity, and adding to the coffers of a town that's quite clearly on the up and up. There's nothing much to do, but if you're waiting for a boat it's an amiable enough spot and you'll probably bump into more fellow travellers here than almost anywhere else in northern BC.
The Town
Although you wouldn't know to look at it, the port is one of the world's largest deep-water terminals, and handles a huge volume of trade (grain, coal and fish in particular). In the past the region was the focal point of trade between aboriginal peoples... read more >>
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