Prince Rupert is a little marine city (population: 15,000) with one-of-a-kind wilderness exploration and wildlife viewing experiences on Northwest BC’s Pacific Coast. It’s also a popular stop on various Alaskan cruises.

The port city of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, is actually on an island at the mouth of the Skeena River, just 40 miles south of the Alaska border and 65 miles south of Ketchikan. Its name was decided in a nationwide contest at the time of its incorporation in 1910, but plans for the city to rival the Port of Vancouver, some 550 miles south, have never been realized.

Arriving into port by ship is breathtaking, as you skirt hundreds of islands and make your way through narrow, mist-shrouded passageways to this town of 16,000 residents. And, because of its moderate climate and mists, it is not unusual to see several rainbows a day, including double and triple rainbows that span the entire horizon.

The natural landscape provides most of the draw for this locale, but it also has a history as one of the oldest continuously occupied regions in the world, with a First Nations culture that dates back over 10,000 years. In fact, the area surrounding Prince Rupert was at one time one of the most densely populated regions north of Mexico. The Tsimshian Nation’s sites and archeological artifacts are available to visitors touring here, and there is a museum dedicated to the First Nations peoples.

If it’s wildlife you seek, Prince Rupert is a dream location, home to Canada’s only Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, the highest concentration of humpbacked whales in North America, white Kermode bears and soaring eagles. Your visit will leave you with a greater appreciation for the interaction between man and the natural world.

Next trip .Haida Gwaii ,Queen Charlotte Island BC Canada