The port of Prince Rupert is scenically located on Kaien Island among the fiords of Canada's often rain-shrouded Pacific coast just 60 km (37 mi.) from the southern tip of Alaska. Its large ice-free natural harbor near the mouth of the Skeena soon made Prince Rupert one of Canada's prime fishing ports, but it is also important as the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, now Canada National Railway. Grain, coal and timber are shipped out through the port, which is also the main destination of B.C. ferries, sailing between here and Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands, and along the Alaska Marine Highway.
The town and its fisheries expanded considerably after the Second World War, adding paper and cellulose to its other industries, and more recently tourism as well.
The town was founded in 1906 by Charles Hays, the ambitious General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, as a northern rival to Vancouver, and the railway line was completed in 1914. During the Second World War it served as a base for the Canadian and American forces.
Downtown Prince Rupert still retains many of the buildings from its earliest years. Near the museum stands the B.C. Court House, a building of 1921 in Neo-Classic style.
The Indian Cultural Days are in June every year and feature traditional Indian dances and crafts.
Behind the Court House lie the so-called "Sunken Gardens" which attract many visitors. They were laid out after the Second World War on the site of a munitions dump.
The site was excavated for a building at one time but when the plans fell through it was decided to use the area to create a garden. Terraced rock walls surround the green space. In the bottom of the garden is a lawn area with benches.
From the summit of Mount Hays (732 m / 2402 ft) there is a magnificent panoramic view of the Pacific Coast. On a clear day it is possible to see as far as the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Alaska Panhandle. The cable railway from Prince Rupert (Wantage Road) takes four hours to reach the summit and operates in July and August (timetable available from the Tourist Information Center).
There are a variety of hiking trails in the area.
In the winter Mount Hays Recreation Area offers skiing.
Hovercraft trips lasting several hours operate from Prince Rupert to Port Simpson, a remote Indian village, a Tsimshian community of Lax Kw'alaams, about 30 km (19 mi.) to the north of Prince Rupert. Set up as an outpost of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1834, Port Simpson is also served by a twice-weekly ferry or by hydroplanes from of the Seal Cove hydroplane terminal.
Read More
Read Less
Read More
Museum of Northern British Columbia
Read More
Read Less
