The little Indian fishing village of Bella Coola at the end of Highway 20 lies in a protected spot on North Bentinck Arm, a fiord which reaches far inland. On the northern shore of Dean Channel west of Bella Coola there is a plaque on "Mackenzie's Rock" in memory of Alexander Mackenzie, who in 1793 became the first European to cross the whole of the North American continent. He and his Indian guide followed the Indian "Grease Trail", an old trade route along which the coastal Indians transported fish-oil, dried fish, berries or cedar-bark far into the interior in order to barter them for elk and buffalo hides, beaver-fur and obsidian.
When he reached the western end of his journey Mackenzie inscribed on a rock the words "Alex Mackenzie, from Canada, by Land, the 22nd day of July 1793". This rock now stands in the Sir Alexander Mackenzie Provincial Park and can be reached only by boat or seaplane from Bella Coola.
From 1869 onwards the Hudson's Bay Company had an outpost here for thirteen years, but it was not until 1894 that some 90 or so Norwegian settlers and fishermen established a colony here. The little museum in the town center includes in its exhibits some items which these settlers from Norway brought with them.
Bella Coola's Coast Mountain Lodge and Kynoch Adventures offe visitors mountain landscapes, grizzly bear viewing, and luxurious rooms in the Great Bear Rainforest. The adventure tours include eco-rafting tours, hiking tours, Grizzly bear tours and salmon snorkel tours.
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