About Port Hardy
Port Hardy was named after Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, former captain of H.M.S. Victory. Settlers first came to the Port Hardy area at the turn of the century when Alec and Sarah Lyon operated a store and post office on the east side of Hardy Bay in 1904, not far from the existing settlement of Fort Rupert on the shores of nearby Beaver Harbour. The stark isolation of the area discouraged further settlement in those times, but a 1912 land deal promoted by the Hardy Bay Land Co. ultimately put the area on the map and increased its population.
With a population a little under 5000, this turn-of-the-century town site is now the largest community in the region and the bustling terminal for B.C. Ferries' service to Prince Rupert and the Queen Charlotte Islands as well as Bella Coola in the summer via the Inside and Discovery Coast Passage sailing routes. Highway 19, the main highway serving most of Vancouver Island, links Port Hardy with Victoria and all other major centres on the island. Other communities in the North Island, including Coal Harbour, Holberg and Port Alice, are connected to Port Hardy by well-maintained highways. Port Hardy is the closest commercial Airport providing flights to Vancouver, and Bella Bella and many other coastal communities.
As 97 percent of the population of Vancouver Island lives on the southern half of the island, outdoor recreationists in search of solitude come north for sustainable vacations. Much of Vancouver Island once looked as the north still does today. Thanks to recent government protection, some of the remaining wilderness has been preserved in its raw beauty. Other places, such as the most northerly tip of the island, are sheltered from the preying eye of industry by the elements.Cape Scott Provincial Park is one of the wildest, windiest, most woebegone locales in the province for human habitation. Journeying to either Brooks Peninsula or Cape Scott is only for those whose mettle has been tested by repeated exposure to the bellows and blast-furnace of nature in the raw.
Gentler conditions prevail in the sheltered waters of Queen Charlotte Strait and Johnstone Strait, where the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations are the traditional gatekeepers. To experience a tranquillity that passes all description, paddle or dive these waters where whales rub and salmon run in summer months.
BC Ferries links Port Hardy with several remote communities along the breathtaking Inside Passage and Discovery Coast routes to Prince Rupert and Bella Coola. Nearby, BC Ferries links Port McNeill to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island and Sointula on Malcolm Island. You can even travel up the scenic Sunshine Coast to Powell River and travel by ferry to Comox, just a 3.5 hour drive from Port Hardy.
Stroll or jog along the seawall to the bustling harbour, where fishing boats, sail boats and float planes always seem to be coming or going. Follow the seawall to Carrot Park and view the war memorial, next come to Tsulquate Park. The next park along this scenic seawall is the Kinsmen Park and pavilion, a great place for a picnic or barbecue. Follow Market Street to Fishermens Wharf, alive with seiners, gillnetters, trollers, sailboats, and sport fishing boats in summer and fall.
One of the most exciting aspects of a visit to Port Hardy is the prevalence of rich native culture and heritage. Port Hardy is known for its First Nations shops and art galleries, particularly on Market Street which offer beautiful hand-crafted treasures. You can also view the work of local artists through the town’s murals. Take yourself on a tour and see murals at the Airport Inn, the Library, Hardy Buoys Smoked Fish, Malone’s Oceanside Bistro, the Thunderbird Mall and the Seagate Motel. Fort Rupert is just north-west of the Port Hardy Airport off Beaver Harbour Road. Aboriginal culture has flourished on Northern Vancouver Island for thousands of years. Other visible aspects of Fort Rupert's cultural fabric include a historical graveyard, the old chimney which marks the site of a former Hudson's Bay Company fort and an impressive Big House. Petroglyphs, one of which dates back to 1864, are not easy to find, but they do exist on sandstone formations in the upper tidal in front of the old fort site.
The Port Hardy Museum is open year round exhibiting a small collection of native Indian artifacts, local history items, natural history materials, and local archives. Open year-round, except two weeks starting on Christmas Day.Signs near the waterfront or in town periodically advertise fresh shrimp or some other catch of the day in season for sale at the town dock. You can cook them up at a pleasant picnic site on Hardy Bay near the ferry terminal.
The Quatse River Hatchery is one of four operated by the North Vancouver Island Salmonid Enhancement Agency, which works with local resources in the recovery of the salmonid stocks in North Island streams. The hatchery offers tours of its salmon incubation facilities, troughs and tanks with young fish, and is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4:00 pm. The best fish viewing occurs in October when salmon enter the river to spawn. The peak spawning period for Pink Salmon is early to mid October and mid to late October for Coho Salmon.
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Whale Watching is a must on a trip to Port hardy, where viewing possibilities include killer whales, Grey Whales, Humpback whales, and Minke whales. Other marine life viewed on whale watching trips might include sea lions and harbour seals. There are several companies offering whale watching trips from late June through early October.
An active recreational centre, Port Hardy is a year-round gateway for wilderness explorers seeking adventure in the vast wonders of North Vancouver Island.The waters off northern Vancouver Island are amongst the finest in the world for diving, known for their profusion of invertebrate life, curious wolfeels, walls studded with colonies of pink soft coral, colourful anemones a variety of sponges and starfish - sighting killer whales from the surface in Johnstone and Queen Charlotte Straits is a common occurrence. Charter your dive trip at the
North Island Dive and Kayak Center.
A network of publicly accessible logging roads has opened up wilderness areas on the west coast of the island, providing access to Winter Harbour, Cape Scott and Raft Cove Provincial Parks. Hiking routes vary from short trails to an 8-hour trek to the tip of Cape Scott Provincial Park (see Trails section). The Tex Lyon Trail offers a rugged 5-hour trek along the coastline to Dillon Point. San Jose Bay and Raft Cove also offer spectacular beaches. The new North Coast Trail, a 130-km hike along the east coast of Northern Vancouver Island, is now active and provides challenge and raw beauty. In the summer, an additional B.C. Ferry service enables visitors to reach Bella Coola via the Discovery Coast Passage. The voyage takes 33 hours and stopovers include Klemtu, Ocean Falls, and Shearwater. Cabins are not available, however, there are showers and reclining seats, reservations are highly recommended.
Explore the stunning beauty and enjoy the scenic grandeur on one of the world's most awe-inspiring voyages - take the 15-hour BC Ferries trip from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert through the Inside Passage. Reserve accommodation in Port Hardy ahead in summer; motels are usually packed the night before the Prince Rupert boat leaves and the night after it arrives.