Fishing is the mainstay of remote west coast communities

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• Like many B.C. coastal towns, houses were built along the waterfront and joined by a boardwalk over the mud.

• Head for Botel Park Trail - rainforest hiking and fantastic views down to the Pacific at Quatsino Sound.

• Ronning's Garden, located 14.5km west of Holberg is a delight to visit in spring and early summer. Follow the restored portion of the old San Josef wagon road built by the early Danish pioneers.

• Explore the rugged coastal wilderness of northwestern Vancouver Island, visit Raft Cove Provincial Marine Park - there are opportunities for primitive camping, swimming and fishing.

• Lawn Point Provincial Park is located south of Quatsino Sound, which is accessible by boat from Winter Harbour. The 560-hectare wilderness park has no facilities, and protects unique geological and botanical features, as well as endangered old-growth forest, rocky shoreline and intertidal beach.

• Quatsino Sound is a huge sound that leads in from the Pacific Ocean, almost separating the north island region. A marine wildlife tour from Winter Harbour out to Quatsino Sound will put visitors even closer to the abundant marine life in the area - gray whales, sea lions, seals, otters and thousands of shorebirds. Located on or off the sound are the communities of Winter Harbour, Quatsino, Coal Harbour and Port Alice.

• Quatsino Provincial Park is located on northern Quatsino Sound. This 654-hectare undeveloped park contains known archaeological sites and protects a mature forest, some small lakes and the sheltered inlet of Koprino Harbour. The Koprino River estuary is noted for its critical fish rearing and waterfowl habitat, and is a popular eagle viewing area. Quatsino Provincial Park can be reached by logging roads from Holberg or by boat from Winter Harbour, Coal Harbour or Port Alice.

• Cape Scott Provincial Park is a wilderness, preserving a truly magnificent area of coastal British Columbia. Visitors to the 21 849 hectare park can expect to find little development except trails. The park is characterized by 64 km of scenic and rugged ocean frontage from Nissen Bay in the north to San Josef Bay in the south. Rocky promontories and jagged headlands are scattered along the remote and wide sandy beaches. Nels Bight is the most impressive of the 9 beaches in the park, at 2400 metres long and over 200 metres wide!

  Visitors to Cape Scott should be well prepared for adverse weather conditions - all year round. Annual rainfall is between 375 and 500 centimetres, and prolonged sunny periods are a rarity, even in summer. High winds, rain and generally stormy conditions can be expected at any time of the year. There is no best time to visit the park, although mid summer is generally preferred. A storm once blew so hard that it turned the lighthouse here sideways!

  There are opportunities for wilderness camping, hiking and wildlife viewing within the park. Trails range in length from two to thirty kilometres, and from a pleasant stroll to a challenging and demanding test of skill and stamina. The incessant rain results in muddy and difficult conditions on primitive trails that provide some of the most tortuous terrain of any trail in British Columbia, but the visual and emotional rewards are beyond comparison, especially on a clear day.

  There are no formal camping facilities inside the park. Wilderness camping is not restricted to particular sites. The more popular spots are near San Josef and Nels Bight. Fresh water is available at these sites as well as at the east end of Nissen Bight and at Guise Bay. Campers are urged to camp on the beach whenever possible to minimize damage to the fragile environment.