Coasting through Kitimat

From the Summer 2010 issue of Coast&Kayak Magazine. Read the entire magazine online.

Kitimat is without doubt completely off the kayaking community’s radar. In fact, in terms of reputation as a kayaking destination on the BC coast, it may be dead last.

To those who have discovered it, though, the oversight is a blessing. Crowds vying for beach space? Not likely.

At least, not yet.

Kitimat is just one of three entry points by land from the British Columbia mainland to the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest, that expansive temperate rainforest that lies between Vancouver Island and Alaska. From here a kayaker can begin a multitude of possible routes through the various passages of the central and north BC coast. The dominant marine route is Douglas Channel – wide, mountainous and unfortunately prone to strong diurnal winds, making transit for small craft questionable after the mid-morning when the day’s winds typically start to blow. An early start to any day here will be well rewarded.

Along the way there is much to see, with five adjacent waterways – Kildala Arm, Eagle Bay, Sue Channel, Gilltoyees Inlet and Foch Lagoon – all protected at least in part as new provincial parks, and all accessible only by water.

Most significantly, Foch-Gilltoyees Protected Area encompasses an entire watershed, from an ecologically rich tidal lagoon to the alpine tundra of the adjacent Coast Mountain Range. It also includes everything in between – old-growth forests, waterfalls, tidal estuaries, cirque basins, and even receding glaciers. Together with Gitnadoiks River Park and Protected Area to the north, the parks form a protected corridor that runs to Skeena River near Prince Rupert.

To avoid the winds of Douglas Channel, instead turn south down Devastation Channel and you’ll find the pristine coastline and mountain ranges continue unbroken. By taking Verney Passage you can head to Gribbell Island, home to the highest concentration of Kermode bears on the BC coast. Or you can make an epic and rarely tackled journey down Gardner Canal, the longest inlet on BC’s coast at 114 km, to enter the Kitlope Heritage Conservancy. Only a few hardy souls make this journey every year by paddle, where the saltwater journey can be extended into Kitlope Lake and Tezwa River, a journey into one of the most remote wilderness areas of the BC coast. Just be forewarned: you are entering grizzly habitat. Along the way you can also stop at two hot springs, including Brim River Protected Area, an undeveloped gem.

Other hot springs in the region create the unusual opportunity to hop from one to the next. There are three to explore in fairly close range: Bishop Bay, Weewanie and Europa in Gardner Canal. A favorite haunt for boaters running the Inside Passage, the hot springs provide a rare and treasured opportunity to warm body and spirit.

If your goal is the open ocean, Kitimat is a convenient gateway, with the Gitga’at community of Hartley Bay a midway stop. Hartley Bay gained international fame for rallying to assist passengers escaping the sinking BC Ferries vessel Queen of the North, which hit Gil Island and sank on March 22, 2006. Hartley Bay has some services, including a small store, and offers cultural and wildlife tours.

If you pass Hartley Bay to reach the outer coast, a perfect base for coastal trips is Campania Island, home to some of the best white sand beaches on BC’s north coast – an unexpected seaside oasis in an area where beaches are normally scarce.

(Wavelength editor John Kimantas in his slideshow and talk on the top 10 kayaking destinations in BC, rated Kitimat and Campania Island both in the top 10, making the trip from Kitimat to Campania a doubly impressive opportunity.)

Weather, like anywhere on the north and central BC coast, is luck of the draw, but as wet as might be expected of any coastal rainforest. Plan for rain and cherish those sunny moments you are likely to encounter at some point during your visit.

Kitimat, which is actually set back several kilometres from the head of Douglas Inlet, offers its own set of attractions, including a museum (www.kitimatmuseum.ca) and the recently renovated leisure pool for a hot tub or sauna to ease the pains at the end of your kayaking trip. Downtown are restaurants, pubs, sporting stores, a spa, and stores for provisions.

On the way in or out by road, be sure to linger at a key viewpoint of Douglas Channel. Because of the mountains, hiking is a major feature of the Kitimat area. Marked trails include Mount Elizabeth on the northeast of the valley as you come into town from the south; Mount Clague to the west, Robinson Ridge and Lake to the east, and from town Coho Flats and Fisherman’s Trail.

From Minette Bay Lodge you can hike the Pine Creek Trail.

If you go:

Kitimat is about 1,400 km (870 miles) north of Vancouver through a circuitous route that requires driving first to Prince George, deep in the interior of BC, then through Terrace to avoid the impassable fiords and surrounding mountains that indent the coast. Plan two days to complete the drive from Vancouver. From there launching and long-term parking is best from one of Kitimat’s two marinas: MK Bay and Moon Bay marinas.

For tours, The Great Canadian Adventure Company offers tours of Foch-Gilltoyees and Kitlope. Visit www.adventures.ca.

The Haisla community of Kitimaat offers expedition tours of Kitlope, the hot springs and traditional territories, as well as shorter canoe trips from Kitimat. Visit www.haislatourism.com. Kayakers may also want to stop in at Hartley Bay and enquire about the Kermode bear viewing tours. Visit www.gitgaat.net/tourism/

For information on the Kitimat area:

www.tourismkitimat.ca/directory/category/sights_attractions/, www.tourismkitimat.ca/directory/recreation_adventure/category/hiking/ and www.tourismkitimat.ca/events/.

New for Kitimat is SeaMasters Restaurant overlooking the ocean.

For books on kayaking this region, see The Wild Coast, Vol. 2 (Whitecap 2006) or Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest (Greystone Books, 2004).