Our zodiak whale watch tour out of Telegraph Cove was the highlight of our trip to Vancouver…read moreIsland, no question. We had a beautiful day, which helped. But what made it really special was our wonderful James. He was the perfect blend of knowing the wildlife and their local habits combined with a warm and charming personality. We didn't see orca, but there were quite a few humpback whales. And we were lucky enough to closely see a pod of Dall's Porpoises (tiny orcas, so cute!). It was a great experience.

Bere Point Regional Park is beautifully situated along Queen Charlotte Strait about six kilometers…read morefrom Sointula and the ferry to Port McNeill. The park is centered around a primitive campground fronting a long stretch of beach that is a prime location for whale watching. The edge of the campground is also the start of the Beautiful Bay Trail. This review focuses on the campground. The campground has roughly 30 campsites, about half of which are considered waterfront sites. As of 2016 waterfront sites are $20 and non waterfront sites are $16. Non waterfront sites are unremarkable (except for their proximity to the beach) and I'd avoid them because the view from this part of the island is awesome and you want as much of it as possible. I'd also pass on site 12a because it's removed from the beach. (Water view rather than waterfront would be a more appropriate description of 12a.) As you can see in the helpful campground map, sites 1 through 11 have a road between the site and the beach. This isn't a huge deal since the road is pretty quiet, but it's worth keeping in mind and being prepared for, especially if you have little kids who will be going back and forth. (Also note that sites 5 and 8 aren't considered waterfront even though they're along the water; this seems to be because the views are obstructed by trees and brush.) The numbered waterfront sites have a different feel than the lettered waterfront sites, largely because the numbered sites are set in the trees while the lettered sites are a little more open. My preference is for the lettered sites, especially A, B, D and E, although I'd also consider sites 10 or 11. Site 11 is a pull through site with some neat quirks that the other sites don't have (chairs fashioned out of driftwood, etc.) We stayed in site B and loved it. B has an old rickety woodshed that the kids played on and that we stored some of our stuff in to keep it dry. One downside to site B is that the beach access is very unstable and I wouldn't use it if falling made me nervous. A few other things to keep in mind: this is a primitive campground with no potable water (indeed, there was no fresh water at all when we were there) or hookups. There was also no cell service (Rogers/Sprint). The campground itself isn't manicured and has a bit of an untidy feel, with cut brush left where it fell. (This is a plus, in my mind, as I don't love landscaped campgrounds.) Speaking of brush, between the campground and the beach there is 5-10 feet of brush before the sand. If left unchecked it would quickly obstruct the water view from all of the sites; hopefully they stay on top of it. Finally, the campground host was excellent: friendly, helpful and full of good ideas. In short, when staying at Bere Point I'd pick a waterfront site, probably B, E, 10, or 11, although most waterfront sites offered similar views and privacy. Be sure to pack your binoculars and bring a kayak if you have one.

Absolutely stunning views! A hidden gem to say the least... The campground owners are…read moreaccommodating, friendly people with a very calm vibe. Every campsite has a view of the ocean as well as spots on the ocean. Traditional Finnish sauna is included as are showers, kitchen & freezer space. It also provides electricity and water if you need it for your RV. Can't recommend it enough!!! If you kayak, Mitchel Bay had guaranteed humpback sightings during our visit... they were so close you could see them by the shore! Looking forward to future stays!

What is nice about doing whale tours from Port McNeill is it's not too hot and more importantly the…read morewhale viewing area is only 30 minutes from the port. Most whale tours you typically have to go much further from the port. This is one of the reasons why we chose Seasmoke Whale Watching. The Seasmoke Whale Watching boat was pretty good. Binoculars were supplied, Nikon Prostaff P3 10x42 which are decent, but only one per group. Everyone was given a flotation suit which does a wonderful job of keeping you warm. With whale tours, you never know what you will see. In the past we have been lucky and have had Orca pods and Humpback whales surface so close to our boat that we got amazing views. Unfortunately on this tour that did not happen. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and helped make the tour interesting. But on this day the Humpback whales were more timid than usual, using the words of guide, and we did not see much at all. I took no photos because whenever we did see a whale it was far away and for just a fleeting moment. Then one of the boat's engines stopped working which added a bonus hour to the tour. We did end up seeing a resident Orca pod because of the delay but the pod was so close to the shore that you could barely make them out. Considering that just the day before we saw more whales on a tour that was not for whale watching we were a bit disappointed. But that's the luck of the draw with whale watching. For almost $200 per person I am not sure if we will do this tour again. Because even if we did see more whales they would probably be far away and one has to ask is that worth it.

Seasmoke Tours whale watching trip was a lot of fun! We got picked up at Alder Bay Resort since we…read morewere staying in Port Hardy. We knew we were in for a treat when we saw a couple of seals hanging out on the dock as we were waiting for the boat to pick us up. The weather was gorgeous and the sea was calm. We got to see lots of Dall's porpoises running along side our sail boat, and hung out with a humpback whale named KC! We also got to see a major rare find: We spotted 3 Minke whales right out of Alert Bay on our way back. It was amazing. This tour was definitely worth every penny for the great sightings, views, and stories. Maureen & Dave were a lot of fun and have a lot of great information on the area. They're very knowledgeable about the local wildlife. Huge bonus: Maureen baked fresh blueberry muffins in the morning and fresh scones with jam & cream right on the boat! I couldn't have been happier with this tour.

We spent 13 days at The Artists Point B&B. The lower level apartment is spacious, clean, and…read morecomfortable with beautiful views. It is a short walk to the ocean. You will see wild flowers and deer in the yard. The king size bed is comfortable and the heated bathroom floor are nice on cold mornings. Rolf and his helpers, Lena and Leonard are very friendly and accommodating.

We really enjoyed our tour with Sea Wolf adventures on Sunday September 28th…read more The crew.....Hannah and Luc John were just awesome, thoughtful and knowledgeable. We saw a humpback whale show on our way out of Port McNeill and also a rock island covered in sea lions. We went to 3 separate sights and watched a total of 7 grizzly bears . We one large male at a distance and 2 moms and cubs. Our boat was comfortable and the life jackets were ea to wear. The meals were fine. The bathroom was clean . It was a long day...7-4:00 and it pour rain all day. I would definitely recommend this company,it was like being on a Safari.

I have mixed feelings about the tour we went on…read more On the one hand, all the people we interacted with from Sea Wolf Adventures were great. They were friendly, warm and genuinely seemed to enjoy what they were doing. The boats were brand new and were very nice and comfortable. The life vests also felt rather new and not bulky at all. Binoculars were provided for everyone and they were good quality Vortex binoculars. The provided breakfast and lunch were very good. We got to see a Grizzly Bear mom and her two cubs who were adorable. We were also lucky enough to see a pod of Orcas as well as some Humpback Whales . However this is a long tour. We arrived at 6:30 AM and got back at 4 PM. The schedule for the tour was roughly: 6:30 AM - 8 AM: Prepare for tour 8 AM - 10 AM: Boat out to Grizzly Bear viewing area 10 AM - 12 PM: Look for Grizzly Bears (actually view Grizzly Bears for about an hour) 12 PM - 1 PM: Lunch and learn Indigenous history and culture 1 PM - 4 PM: Boat back to Port McNeill (stop for 1 hour to see Whales) The ride to and from the Grizzly Bear viewing area is not entirely calm even though we are not on the open sea. In fact the ride back was quite bumpy and I felt like I was on a boat for the rest of the day. This tour is also not cheap. With all taxes and fees, the cost is $600. If your primary goal is to see Grizzly Bears then you have to ask is it worth it to pay $600 to watch one Grizzly Bear and maybe some cubs for one hour as part of a 10 hour day. Also do not expect to be able to see the Grizzly Bears up close. All the boats that were viewing the Grizzly Bears kept a good distance away. This is not like your zoo or rescue shelter where the Grizzly Bears are only a few feet away. I have attached the best photos I took but understand these photos are at 30x zoom. We were fortunate to have seen Grizzly Bears and Orcas but at the end of the tour we weren't sure if we would do it again. Still it was a good experience and Sea Wolf Adventures does everything it can to make it successful.

We landed at Hidden Cove for the last two nights of our whirlwind Canada vacation. After having…read morestayed two nites in Campbell River in a cramped cabin, then driving to Telegraph Cove and staying two nites there, moving into two different cabins two consecutive nites, parking our tired butts in the little cabin at Hidden Cove was a huge relief. This place is literally in the middle of nowhere....if Nowhere is heaven. Surrounded by forest and berry bushes and bordered on one side by the bay, this lodge was a great getaway relaxation spot. Sigh. If only we'd been allowed to relax there more! We got up at 5 one morning and fished all day and the next day got up early for our trip to see the grizzlies. Luckily, hubby and I had the foresight to buy some wine at Telegraph Cove general store, so each evening, our greatest pleasure was sipping wine on the porch of the cabin as the sun went down (around 9 o'clock). One evening we'd come home after dinner and our neighbors in the next cabin commented how there'd been mama black bear and her cub wandering just outside our cabin. We missed it unfortunately, but Nature is up close and personal here. We did see a black bear walking across the road on our drive in. You are warned when you check in not to leave any food (or fish guts) in your vehicle. In the foggy morning, my sis heard a humpback blowing out in the bay. And in the evening it was so relaxing to hear the sea birds settle on the water for the nite (altho the gnats have no sense of personal space unfortunately and will buzz around your eyes and mouth). The cabin itself was simple and quaint. Two bedrooms, one bath and a futon couch slept 5 of us very comfortably. There's a full kitchen that we only used to nuke breakfast burritos and make hot chocolate and there's a fireplace that we didn't get a chance to fire either. Some books and games are provided as well. I can't speak for the breakfast in the lodge proper as it was not provided for us cross-eyed cabin dwellers, I guess cause you have a kitchen (we could have paid to eat there, but a burrito was cheaper). On our last nite there, hubby and I watched the sun set spectacularly over the bay and I almost shed a tear to leave this place. We swore we'd come back someday, just the two of us, with a much more lazy schedule. Perhaps some fishing....maybe some kayaking....but definitely a lot more communing with nature and each other.

an excellent fresh fish lunch, delightful welcome and conversation, small village vibe. Great…read moreexperience!