Quatsino
Sound
Quatsino Sound is a large sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Quatsino
Sound leads from the Pacific Ocean, nearly separating the northern tip of
the island from the rest of Vancouver Island. Most of the 1,000+ known caves
on Vancouver Island are found in the Quatsino Formation limestone deposits.
Quatsino Sound
is located on the north end of Vancouver Island. Situated on or near Quatsino
Sound are the small communities of Winter Harbour, Quatsino, Coal Harbour
and Port Alice.
Quatsino
The tiny hamlet of Quatsino Sound (population: under 100) was first built
in the 1800's when the government issued crown grants to attract new settlers.
Accessible only by water or floatplane, you can use your own boat to get
there or take a convenient water taxi from Coal Harbour.
Winter Harbour
Off Quatsino Sound, in Forward Inlet, is Winter Harbour. This outpost
community on the edge of the Pacific Ocean is a 40-minute drive on gravel
roads from Holberg. The village got its name in the 1800's when its sheltered
harbour became a haven for sailing ships. Today, the docks are always
busy, providing modern fishing boats with a safe stop.
Coal Harbour
Now a centre for marine traffic, Coal Harbour was once a thriving whaling
station, the last one on the North American coast when it closed in 1967.
Then, in the 1970s, it became a mining town again when the Island Copper
Mine was in operation until it closed in 1996. Today, the residents rely
on fishing, logging and aquaculture.
Port Alice
The village of Port Alice is located on beautiful Neroutsos Inlet off
Quatsino Sound, one of Vancouver Island's gateways to the wild west coast.
Historic Eagle Manor Retreat on six secluded hectares in Quatsino serves
lunch if you call ahead. St. Olaf's Anglican Church in Quatsino, built
in 1896 as the community's first school house, is one of the oldest buildings
still in use on the North Island.
Quatsino
Light (Kains Island Light Station)
Located at the entrance to Quatsino Sound on the southeast end of Kains
Island, at the entrance to Quatsino Sound, is Quatsino Light, also known
as Kains Island Light Station. The lighthouse was first established in
1909, with the fog alarm added in 1923.
The wind-swept island is completely exposed to the elements, and provides
a great rocky environment for sea lions and marine birds.
Fishing:
There's a good salmon run on the Marble River to the south of Quatsino
sound, which lies 8 miles (13 km) west of Highway 19 on the road to Port
Alice. This logging road also provides access to Alice, Victoria, and
Kathleen Lakes, which offer good cutthroat trout and dolly varden fishing.
Campsites and a boat launch are located in the mill town of Port
Alice, on Neroutsos Inlet, where you'll find full facilities for exploring
the many sheltered inlets in Quatsino Sound. The Spencer Cove Recreation
Site is situated in Koprino Harbour on the north shore of Quatsino Sound,
and has 11 campsites, a boat launch and a boat dock.
Kayaking, canoeing, fishing and wildlife viewing are popular activities
in the sheltered waters of Neroutsos, Holberg and Rupert inlets. Quatsino
Sound is a very popular sea kayaking route, served by a campground in
the estuary.
Hiking, beachcombing or berry picking - enjoy your visit to this
beautiful end of Vancouver Island.
Quatsino Provincial Park is located on northern Quatsino Sound, and
includes the Crown land on the east side of Koprino Harbour and the adjacent
peninsula to the east, as far as Shapland Cove. This 654-hectare undeveloped
park contains known archaeological sites and protects a mature forest,
some small lakes and the sheltered inlet of Koprino Harbour. The Koprino
River estuary is noted for its critical fish rearing and waterfowl habitat,
and is a popular eagle viewing area. Quatsino Provincial Park can be reached
by logging roads from Holberg or by boat from Winter Harbour, Coal Harbour
or Port Alice.
Lawn Point Provincial Park is located south of Quatsino Sound,
which is only accessible by boat from Winter Harbour, Quatsino and Coal
Harbour farther to the east. The 560-hectare wilderness park has no facilities,
and protects unique geological and botanical features, as well as endangered
old-growth forest, rocky shoreline and intertidal beach.
Raft Cove Provincial Marine Park is located on the coast about
15 miles (25 km) north of Quatsino Sound, about 26 miles (42 km) west
of Port Hardy. The road forks as it nears both parks. Bear to the left
to reach Raft Cove. Dense western hemlock and Sitka spruce blanket the
shoreline, where you'll find wilderness sites on nearby beaches. A rough
trail leads from the parking lot to the beach. Allow up to 45 minutes
to make the journey one way. This is an extremely exposed area. Come prepared
for rain and wet - waterproof everything. Raft Cove is located just south
of San Josef Bay.