We are planning for three adults' travel to British Columbia's coast in Sept 2018. We are realizing this is a massive area with too many experiences for a single lifetime, much less two weeks! We want to visit Great Bear Rainforest, experience coastal marine and land-based life, and in a respectful way, see First Nations peoples lives. Some land time, some water time. We are also concerned to patronize ecologically sound travel and lodging. Suggestions, advice? We continue to research the many possibilities. This is a dream trip for us! we'd likely fly into Vancouver from Greater Cincinnati area.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
Just as a clarification...you're talking strictly about a cruise from Vancouver to Alaska via BC Ferries or some other operator, correct?
One place I would highly recommend as a first stop is the UBC Anthropology Museum in Vancouver which has a lot of interesting info on First Nations and their history in BC. Vancouver itself is a gorgeous city that deserves at least 3 full days on its own. I wish I could offer any cruise advice but I haven't taken one to Alaska (yet), but I did take a brief tour of Vancouver Island this May and it was wonderful. I took a ferry over from Vancouver, spent some time in Victoria, rented a car and drove all the way to Uclulet/Tofino to do some hiking on the Wild Pacific Trail and Pacific Rim National Park on the western side of the island. The scenery was beautiful, so that is one option you may want to check into if you are open to a pure land-based tour of the area and you want to fully experience the coastline and old growth forests. There is lots to see on Vancouver Island, you could easily spend two weeks there as well. I know that doesn't really answer your question, but hopefully others will chime in as well.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11946 posts
I am puzzled by the title of your post, including Glacier National Park, but the narrative of your post not mentioning it.
Is Glacier NP part of your plans?
Posted by
2545 posts
There's Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and also Glacier National Park (near me)...both spectacular.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
I don't know much about the Great Bear Rainforest, except where it is on a map. This website might be a good starting place to plan a visit there. And you might consider the excellent B.C. ferry system to get you nearby, with or without a vehicle.
As a previous poster recommended, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of B.C. would be a great way to learn more about the coastal tribes when you get to Vancouver. There's also the outstanding Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria, with a broader focus on the province as a whole. Victoria, at the south end of Vancouver Island, is a wonderful place to visit but might be out of your way and outside the coastal and indigenous focus of your trip.
As others have noted, Glacier National Park is in Montana, hundreds of miles from Vancouver and the coast. Glacier Bay National Park is in southeast Alaska, well north of the B.C. coast. Either place would be a great experience, but would take considerable time away from the B.C. coast. It would help if you could clarify which of these you referred to, or if maybe you meant someplace else.
You probably already know to be prepared for rain on this trip. This website shows September averages for Prince Rupert, the nearest big town to Great Bear -- 20 days with rain, 10 inches average for the month. You can use it for other nearby towns or areas. I'd suggest bringing a hooded shell parka, preferably Gore-Tex or other breathable fabric, one or two layers to go under it, and sturdy waterproof (or waterproof-treated) shoes.
Posted by
Prince George, BC, Canada
444 posts
Most of BC's coast line is very difficult to reach, particularly the area known as the Great Bear Rainforest, or Central and Northern BC coast, as most BC residents know it by. If you took an Alaskan/Inside Passage cruise from Vancouver or boat trip from Campbell River or somewhere else from Vancouver Island, you could see some of the coast, but vehicle access is quite limited in that area. Vancouver Island - particularly the east coast of the Island is well served by roads, and the Ucuelet and Tofino area is also accessible by road. The area known as the Sunshine Coast, just north of West Vancouver, and the Whistler/Pemberton area is also well served by roads. You can drive to Bella Coola on the central coast, which is an 8 hour drive west from Williams Lake. You can also drive to Prince Rupert and Kitimat on the North Coast, which is about a 9 hour drive west from Prince George, the center of British Columbia. Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) is another area to consider as well. Accessible by ferry or air, and will check a lot of the boxes you are interested in.