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Port McNeill is more than the “Gateway to the Broughton Archipelago”: it’s an ideal base camp for just about every outdoor experience you can imagine. Fish for trophy salmon, cod, halibut and trout; view vast numbers of Orcas and other wildlife; hike the famous Cape Scott Trail; scale a mountain; camp by a lake surrounded by old-growth forest; or play a round of golf while eagles soar overhead.
An interesting history lesson is never far away either, whether you’re visiting the local museum, a pioneer church or a rare, manned lighthouse. A local gallery exhibits photography and paintings by area artists.
There are many ways to explore the miles of beautiful, unspoiled wilderness around Port McNeill. Two of the best hiking trails, for example, are the 3.7-km (2.3-mi) Marble River Trail and the challenging 48-km (30-mi, roundtrip) Cape Scott Trail.
Cavers love the spectacular caves, limestone arches and rock platforms in Little Huson Cave Regional Park and campers can choose between regional, forestry and private campgrounds or strike out on their own in provincial parks for true wilderness camping experiences. There are also two golf courses nearby.
The most interesting buildings around Port McNeill are the Pultney Point Lighthouse in Sointula and the Christ Church in Alert Bay. The lighthouse is still manned, a rarity on the west coast today, and the stained glass in the wooden, 1892 church is an unusual blend of First Nations and European imagery.
Visit the U’mista Cultural Centre, in Alert Bay, to explore First Nations culture and history through exhibits, films, live demonstrations and ceremonies. Be sure to see its extensive collection of potlatch regalia (masks, baskets, copper implements). Sointula, on Malcolm Island, was founded by Finnish settlers who hoped to create a utopian community, where all were equal and all worked together for the common good. Some of the buildings erected by those intrepid idealists remain and there’s a farm nearby where the fields are still worked by oxen. The Port McNeill Heritage Museum focuses primarily on the history of logging in the area. Its Forestry Centre features displays, video presentations and educational walking tours of the “working forest.” The community’s galleries feature photography and paintings by local artists, and a video of marine life shot by a camera attached to the bottom of a whale watching boat.
Shephard’s Garden, on the Nimpkish River, is one of the loveliest spots in Port McNeill. Enjoy colourful beds of annuals and perennials and many types of tree from early spring to late fall. Visit in late August/early September to see salmon spawning in the Nimpkish River.
There’s a wealth of wilderness around Port McNeill, the best of it protected within five provincial parks. Marble River Provincial Park offers hiking, biking, wilderness camping and excellent fishing and wildlife viewing (especially during salmon spawning season). Lower Nimpkish Provincial Park is an undeveloped wilderness park popular for fishing, bird watching, wildlife viewing and wilderness camping. You’ll find old-growth hemlock forests in remote Nimpkish Lake Provincial Park, which is popular for mountaineering and wilderness camping.
Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park and Cormorant Channel Marine Provincial Park both offer spectacular scenery, superb boating and kayaking conditions and exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities. Cormorant is also a great place to fish or scuba dive.
Local waters are considered some of the best in the world for Orca viewing. Some 200 of them spend at least part of the year here. Humpback whales, minke whales, Dall’s porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, harbour seals and Steller sea lions are also commonly sighted.
Port McNeill offers excellent conditions for a range of water activities, including kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving, sailing and windsurfing. It’s best known, however, for fishing. Trophy salmon, cod and halibut are pulled from the area’s ocean waters all the time and local rivers and streams positively teem with trout. The top kayaking and canoeing destinations are Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park and Cormorant Channel Marine Provincial Park, which is also a great place for scuba diving. Nimpkish Lake and waters just off the coast are both popular with windsurfers. Coastal waters also offer some truly superb sailing conditions.
Mount Cain, about 1.5 hours from Port McNeill, is a low-key, family-oriented ski hill with two t-bars servicing 18 runs. There are approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) of marked cross-country trails at the base of the mountain and terrain in the surrounding area is suitable for snowshoeing and backcountry skiing.
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