Canadian Coast: Prince Rupert to Bella Bella

General Notes

The route down the outer coast of Banks, Aristazabal, and Price Islands is one of the most remote and undeveloped coastline of British Columbia.  These sections are not covered in any professionally published guide book (Kamatas).  The best information is contained in two guides created by Nanaimo sea kayakers:  The Banks and the Aristazabal (annotated copy).  The BC Marine Trail association has information about campsites on this section.  However, their information is partial and they don’t cover all potential camp sites.  This route description provides an overview of the route.  Read the associated trip reports for details on camps used and conditions experienced.

Party Size

A party size of 4 people is recommended for this trip mainly due to the camp sites.  We were always able to find space for 4 1-person tents.  More would be difficult at some sites.  Sharing tents would change the problem a little.  You would need to find fewer tent sites but a double may be too large of a foot print for some of the sites we did find.  

Season and Timing

Weather Anywhere indicates that June through August are comparable for the amount of wind, rain, and sun though there is more fog in August.  The authors of the Banks guide believe that August weather may be more stable and suggest watching the weather to take advantage of a good window.  Our 2025 trip from late June to mid July had 5 fronts with rain and southerly win come through.  Experienced paddlers we met said this was unusually wet and June weather was often pleasant and any time of year is a crap shoot.  

Currents along Banks Island and Aristazabal flow south with the ebb and north with the flood.  Whatever time of the summer you choose to go, you should time the tides to have currents in your favor.  If traveling south, this means planning your departure from Port Edward’s such that when you reach the north end of Banks Island high tide is early morning.  Through your transit down the coast, the time of ebb currents will shift from morning to mid day to afternoon.  

Access

Prince Rupert and Port Edwards

There are two problems with arriving in Prince Rupert by ferry:  there is no launch site by the ferry and the ferry arrives at 11:30pm.  The best solution to this is to hire Steve of Skeena Kayaking to pick you up, hold your gear and kayaks, transport you to lodging, then transport you to a launch site the next day.  

Launching from Port Edward is preferable.  There is a decent boat ramp and it is a shorter paddle to get out of the bay.

There are some tidal rapids in the Prince Rupert area and one might plan a day exploring Prince Rupert and the local paddling.

Klemtu

The BC Ferry dock is about 1.5 miles north of town.   Landing is on rocks below the ferry dock with a 60ft carry up to the pavement.  This is not a terrible landing, but would be a difficult place to pack your boat for the first time.  You won’t be allowed down to this landing while the ferry is docked so arrive early for departure and, when arriving, expect to wait until the ferry departs.  

Klemtu provides limited services to visitors.  There is a dock near the band store where you can tie your kayaks up.  I’ve heard that one may camp by the cultural center (rocky landing at low tide, gravel above mid tide).  However, I’m not aware of any public bathroom.  One might get served a meal from the Spirit Bear Lodge..

There is a BCMT site about 5nm north, in Meyers passage.  15nm south there are 2 sites:  Douglas Island and Pidwell Reef.  If paddling north from Douglas I. to Klemtu on an ebb tide, one can avoid most of the current by paddling close to shore of Swindle Island.

Bella Bella

The BC Ferry dock is several miles south of Bella Bella.  Kayak launch is just south of the dock.  Good at middle to high tide.  Rougher at lower tides.

There are some stores and restaurants in Bella Bella.  More services are in Sheerwater, including camping.

Camping

The best source of information is the BC Marine Trails website. They negotiate with the landowners and will have up to date information on the most appropriate sites. However, even their information on camp sites is relatively sparse. Scouring other sources such as guide books and trip reports will help you build out a list of potential camp sites.

If paddling down the outer coast, further information can be found in:

• Banks Island Field Guide
• Aristazabal, Price, and Athlone Field Guide

These are produced by members of the Nanaimo Paddling club and may be found by searching.  (in 2025 they are being updated.)

Most camp sites on the outer coast are small, rough, and see little use.  Sites for 4 tents can usually be found but finding space for a 5th tent becomes more challenging at many of the sites.  Pruning clippers and a pruning saw are well worth carrying.

Outer Passage

Chatham Sound and Porcher Island

5 days from Prince Rupert to Banks Island

If you have planned to have ebb currents while paddling down Banks Island, high tide will be mid afternoon.  You can make a short day to Kitson Island or a moderate day to Rachael island.

Stephen’s Passage is shown by the chart as drying at low tides.  We found that at the center there is a narrow (20ft) passage that probably never dries.  A 2.5 kt current against us was easily traversed.  At large tidal exchanges the current here may be too strong to paddle against.  

Banks Island

4 days to the Calamity Bay

This is the most remote section of the trip.  The coastline is intricate with bays, islands, and reefs.  In many places the sea bed was covered with urchins and kelp was scarce.

Campanolia Island and the Estevan Group

2 days from Banks to Aristazabal

This section has two crux days with long passages.  You have a choice of going to Campanolia or transiting the Estevan Group.  

Campanolia has several large white sand beaches on the center of its west shore.  There are plenty of tent sites above high tide and several forest camps.  Good water on the southern sand beach.  

Mt Pender is noted as a potential hike.  This will be a bushwhack and scramble, best done in dry weather when you can get a clear view of the area.  If you do this, I am told you will traverse some interesting terrain:  granite barrens.  An area that is sparsely treed with alternating granite outcropping and boggy ground in between. 

In the Estevan group, the passage between Barnard and Dewdney is passable only at high tide (likely above 4m).  

Aristazabal Island

3 days from Campanolia to the south end

Though not as remote as Banks, the camps on Aristazabal seemed less developed and appealing.  

There is a fishing lodge on the northwest side, in Borrowman Bay.  From the north end of Aristazabal to Ketle Inlet, boats from this lodge are busy buzzing about from here to there.  The lodge is the one place where you might send a resupply.

South of Kettle Inlet the shore is again quiet.  Approaching the south end there are more sea otters, large kelp beds, and greater diversity of sea life. 

Price Island

3 days from Aristazabal, around the south end of Price, and then to Klemtu.

4 days from Aristazabal to Bella Bella.

Due to limited and undeveloped camp sites, Price Island is best traversed at neap tides.  

From Aristizabal, you can cross directly to camp P1 (9.25nm, 52.55882, -128.63558).  The guide describes this as the best beach on Price.  However, we found that the top of the main beach had been covered by large logs with no space for tents.  The smaller beach to the south had open space above high summer tides.  However, many of the potential tent sites became little streams in rain.  There is one tent site in the forest.  

Camps P2 and P3 were not explored.  

Camp P4 in the southern lobe of Langford Cove was found to be rocks to the vegetation line with no sign of upland camps.  We found it easier to paddle 20nm to the nice camp on Douglas I.

INSIDE PASSAGE

The inside passage is the classic route from mainland to southeast Alaska in protected waters.  This is used by commercial and private vessels.  Many sea kayakers have paddled this route as well. Look for trip reports.

• Suitable Activities: Sea Kayaking
• Seasons: June, July, August
• Weather: View weather forecast

• Difficulty: Sea Kayak V
• Length: 220.0 nm

• Land Manager: Land Manager Varies
• Parking Permit Required: see Land Manager
• Recommended Party Size: 4
• Maximum Party Size: 12
• Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 12