Super Camping British Columbia
Super Camping British Columbia

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Ferry Trip Prince Rupert to Port Hardy, British Columbia

By John Jennings

I had heard that the BC Ferries trip from Prince Rupert in the north to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island is like taking a cruise at a fraction of the price. As Prince Rupert is nearly 54 degrees latitude, mid-June is a wonderful time to do so, being light from early morning to late evening. I was heading south to my home on Vancouver Island.

BC Ferries Northern Adventure

BC Ferries Northern Adventure

The BC Ferries Northern Adventure is certainly classy and well equipped. The cost for a regular car is $469 in peak summer, plus $206 for each passenger (including the driver).

This was a very early start—I needed to be at the dock in Prince Rupert at 5:30 am for a 7:30 departure. After loading on the car deck, I went to the passenger deck and decided to have a good buffet breakfast in the Coastal Cafe, which offers an excellent choice of hot foods, fresh fruit, juices and hot drinks.

Prince Rupert Harbour

Prince Rupert Harbour

As the ship sailed there were several great views of the harbour activity. I found that there were staterooms equipped for the 16 hour trip, but I decided to buy a $35 reclining chair in The Raven Lounge at the prow of the ship in a peaceful area with an 180 degree view. I travelled most of the trip with camera in hand and got some excellent shots. I enjoyed the Pacific Buffet for a light lunch and an excellent salmon dinner.

Waterfall Central BC Coast

Waterfall Central BC Coast

The route took us along a series of beautiful forested fjords that were sometimes only one to two kilometers wide. There were many spectacular waterfalls from hanging valleys formed during the last ice age that fell directly into the sea.The captain pointed out sea life near the ship  and there were recorded announcements of many points of interest, such as historic canneries and mills.

A real bonus was meeting a number of world travellers. I was able to have a great conversation with a Swiss father and son who were bonding by exploring British Columbia. The ship stopped in Bella Bella harbour before continuing south through more open waters; it felt like a genuine sea voyage on this section of the trip.

The ferry arrived in Port Hardy on time at 11:30 pm. The ease of loading and unloading as well as the scenery and on-board amenities made this an excellent choice of BC travel.

Published: June 15, 2017
Last Updated: November 30, 2018

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About the Author

Born in Edmonton Alberta, John is a graduate of BC Institute of Technology in Hospitality Management and has enjoyed a successful 45 year career in Management of Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Destination Organizations in Canada and the UK and was the recipient of the William Van Horne Visionary Award for designing the coveted ‘SuperHost’ (now World Host) Program while with Expo ’86, where he travelled around North America speaking to all business opportunities. John is co-author of “Paralyzed without Warning”, is now semi-retired, performing occasional tourism & hospitality contracts and enjoys living on Vancouver Island with his wife Suzan and their SPCA rescue dog Lady.