Georgie’s Wanderlust

Oh Bella Coola. One of the most magical places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.

I’ve now had the joy of wandering the Bella Coola valley 3 times, with more plans to go back!

Check out what I recommend to see and do in the valley below, after a few fun facts:

Situated on the west coast of British Columbia, the Bella Coola valley is full of surprises. With a population of just over 2,000 residents in the entire valley, this little slice of the Great Bear Rainforest can be found all the way at the end of highway 20 in British Columbia. An outdoor adventure playground, Bella Coola has many mountainous hiking trails and rivers and streams for fishing.

The Bella Coola valley is one of the few places you can drive directly into the Great Bear Rainforest. Which is the home of the spirit bear – also known as the kermode bear. A black bear sub species with a recessive gene, making them white! They are a big reason why I first went to the valley, although I never saw one there. I have seen white and blonde grizzly bears in other parts of British Columbia, but never the kermode bear in Bella Coola. That’s totally ok though, the Bella Coola valley has so much to offer, I’ve been back a third time!

Getting to Bella Coola

You can drive all the way to the Bella Coola valley. Found at the end of highway 20, with Williams Lake at the start, I recommend stocking up on your groceries here as they start to get more expensive from this point on. The drive from Vancouver will take you at least 12 hours, and over 16 from Calgary. A great way to make a road trip adventure, there are so many things to see and do on the way to Bella Coola. It is well worth the drive and one that I have done three times myself.

There is also the option to take a ferry from the north of Vancouver Island. The ferry departs from Port Hardy (Bear Cove) and arrives to the town of Bella Coola. It takes 10 hours on the ferry boat between terminals. This ferry does not sail everyday and I highly recommend booking in advance. I took the ferry from Bella Coola to Port Hardy in August 2022 – a fantastic way to see the inland passage, and whales! Visit BC Ferries to view schedules and book a sailing.

You also have the option of flying from Vancouver to Bella Coola airport with Pacific Coastal Airlines. The flight is 1 hour and 15 minutes, however once you arrive you are going to have to arrange transportation as the valley is big.

There is no regular public transport in the Bella Coola valley, so having a personal vehicle (or at least a bike) is a must.

Things to do in Bella Coola

• Salmon fishing during the salmon runs
• Wildlife watching/tours (grizzly and black bears!)
• Bird watching
• Hiking
• Camping
• Rock climbing
• Kayaking and paddle boarding
• Boat tours
• Hot springs
• Enjoy a cute cafe

Salmon Fishing

Or simply fishing. There is world class fishing in the Bella Coola valley. Many avid anglers come for the salmon runs. You will find the Chinook salmon mid-May to mid-July, the Coho salmon from September through October, the Pink salmon run in July and August, and the Chum salmon run later in July. Cutthroat, Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden can be found along the Atnarko River.

Fishing licenses are essential, and can be purchased online through BC’s government website. Be aware that freshwater and tidal licenses need to be purchased separately, and know your limits of what you can keep.

Wildlife & bird watching

Bella Coola is a fantastic place to see grizzly and black bears in the wild. The salmon runs attract them down into the valley during the early fall (September & October). Early spring is also a good time to see them when they are waking up and feeding on young plant shoots. By far the best month to see them is September, and the only month that the bear viewing station at Belarko is actually open. This is a fun and safe way to see the bears in and around the Atnarko river.

Other wildlife that is possible to see are wolves, cougars, blacktail deer, mountain goats, and martens. Around the estuary mouth just west of the Bella Coola township, you can see harbour seals, bald eagles, blue herons and other sea birds.

Hiking

There are many many hiking trails in the Bella Coola valley, ranging from short 15 minute circuits, to overnight backpacking trips. Scattered all through the valley are some great interpretive walks and lookout trails. Check out bellacoola.ca for a detailed map and list of hiking trails in the area!

I recommend M. Gurr for a fantastic day trip and stunning 360 lookout. Found up Clayton Falls Forest Service Road, 4X4 is recommended to get up this road. You will also find Grey & Blue Jay Lakes on this road, and the trail head to Big Cedar Tree.

Hunlen Falls is another wonderful day trip that will take you up out of the rainforest and to plateau on top of a ridge to several viewpoints of Hunlen Falls. This stunning waterfall is in Tweedsmuir National Park and can also be done as a multi-day hiking trip from Turner Lake, the lake that feeds into Hunlen Falls. Canoeing trips are also possible up here. Read up on my essentials to have while trekking to make sure you’ve got everything packed!

For an easier, flat walk, check out the Big Cedars Loop near the airport, or the Saloompt Interpretive Forest on Saloompt River Road. There is great fishing on this road on the Saloompt River, make sure you have a fishing permit for BC and check the limits on the types of fish you are intending to catch.

Camping

You can find some cheap and simple campsites in the Bella Coola valley, with cleared spaces and drop toilets. There is a full hook up campground called Rip Rap in Hagensborg, a cute little town 15 minutes east up the valley from the main townsite of Bella Coola. There’s also a really great app called Wikicamps that can show you the campgrounds and attractions in the area and if they are free or paid. The app costs $2.79CAD and you have it for life. I bought it years ago and have used it plenty of times across Canada to find campgrounds and RV dump stations for water refills (they also have a USA, NZ, and Aussie version! The Aussie one found me sleeping in some wonderful places when I toured my home country in 2018).

Rock Climbing

A lesser known activity in the valley is rock climbing. Many people think of the Chief in Squamish when they think of this sport, which is popular for a reason – it’s close to Vancouver and it’s absolutely stunning. If you are coming here for rock climbing then you are a deep lover of the activity and know your stuff as there is very little information online for this.

Kayaking & paddle boarding

Down by the harbour you can drop your vessel of choice into the water and go for a paddle with the seals. My friend Mac and I were lucky enough to go out when the water was relatively calm and the sun was peeking through the clouds.

Boat tours & hot springs

Bella Coola is know for its rivers and estuary. If boats are your thing, check out Bella Coola Grizzly tours for a range of different tours! They can take you to the hot springs, which in this area are accessible only by boat as they are across the waters of the South Bentinck Arm. I never made it for a dip in the hot springs, let me know if you do!

Dining and cute cafes

Having such a small population, the dining options are a little slim in the valley. There are a couple of family style restaurants in Bella Coola, and Hagensborg has a few cafes. I really enjoyed the sandwiches at My Lunch Stop and the coffee at Bella Coola Eagle Lodge. Bella Coola and Hagensborg both have grocery stores, with a good selection.

I hope you enjoy Bella Coola as much as I did, I’ve been twice! Please share with your friends who you think would love Bella Coola too.