Sightseeing Tours
Sightseeing (Picture BC photo)
With surroundings of ocean, islands and mountains, it goes without saying that Telegraph Cove offers some spectacular sightseeing, and walking is one of the best ways to take it all in.
For a rewarding, offbeat tour, drive to Port McNeill 30 minutes away and hop on a ferry for the 25-minute ride to Malcolm Island and the community of Sointula. Or enjoy a flightseeing tour in a helicopter to get an aerial view.
Malcolm Island
Malcolm Island walks have a charm all their own. They're quiet, no denying it. Town walks are easy. They involve few hills, no mountains to climb and no rivers to ford. And they're about the natural beauty and history of an unusual destination.
Finnish settlers arrived on this island in 1902 in search of Utopia. They named their new world Sointula, or "place of harmony." They built a foundry, brickyard, sawmill, blacksmith shop, fire hall, library, community centre, shops and homes.
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But this wasn't an easy place to live. Eventually, the commune disbanded and many of the settlers left to return home or relocate elsewhere in BC. Those who stayed are responsible for today's Sointula. Tenacity was their middle name.
Downtown Sointula
For colourfully painted houses and principal buildings, go left from the ferry dock. Go right from the dock and the cemetery provides a different take on local history. Heritage signs connect the town with its past. The Sointula Co-operative Store is the oldest co-op in BC. It still provides groceries and fuel to islanders. Be on the lookout for good buys: Sointula is a haven for artists and artisans. Local fishnet rugs are the specialty.
Flightseeing
West Coast Helicopters out of nearby Port McNeill offers customized flightseeing tours including heli-hiking, heli-fishing, heli-skiing and heli-photography. Their hiking and glacier tour involves not only soaring over the glacier but landing square on it for a hike and high-altitude gourmet picnic.
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