Carmen Castro
- Mar 22
- 7 min read

The Northern Tip of Vancouver Island: Exploring BC's Rugged Coastal Wilderness

Updated: Apr 6

Vancouver Island is a heaven, to say the least. With 31,285 km2 of land, it is the largest island on the West Coast of North America. Home to the lovely city of Greater Victoria, which is not only the biggest city but also BC's capital, and home to 50 First Nation communities, it is a vast terrain to explore and fall in love with.

The northern tip of Vancouver Island, a much lesser-travelled area, is a wild gem where the silence is only muted by the sounds of waves, birds, the breeze, and your own steps through the trails. It is a place to find solitude and serenity, as well as adventure.

It is a wanderer's paradise, so if you are looking for inspiration for your next adventure or if the northern tip of Vancouver Island is already on your bucket list, keep reading to find out the places we got to visit and enjoy.

Grant Bay, sunset on the ocean — Grant Bay

Getting to the Northern Tip of Vancouver Island

From Vancouver, you will need to take a ferry from Horseshoe Bay terminal to Nanaimo Departure Bay, which will take less than two hours to cross.

Once there, Highway 19 north will take you to Port Hardy, which is the last bigger town you will encounter before getting into the wilderness.

The drive from Nanaimo to Port Hardy is doable in a day; however, we split it to take it a bit slower, and we enjoyed a beautiful night camp on McCreight Lake, which is a tiny campground offering only three sites that are well private and right on the water.

Once in Port Hardy, the maze of logging roads will welcome you and take you to the beautiful, rugged coastal wilderness. The roads are well marked, but it is always a good idea to have a GPS on you. Also, when my family and I visited last February, the roads were being graded, so there was no need for high-clearance vehicles. However, I have read that there are times when the roads are in a much rougher condition, so check ahead of time for any updates on the matter.

Places we visited on the Northern Tip of Vancouver Island

Nahwitti Lake

Nahwitti Lake is a beautiful lake situated about 40 minutes northwest of Port Hardy and 35 minutes north-east of Holberg. It is a perfect place to unwind and an excellent place to kayak around. Access to the lake is via the Nahwitti Lake Recreation Site, which is a small campground that offers picnic tables, fire pits, and outhouses. We enjoyed the quietness of the place, which was at times a bit surprising.

Goodspeed Fossil Bed

Having a fossil lover at home, it was only natural to make a stop at the Goodspeed fossil bed. It is a small yet amazing place to find mostly, but not only, clam shells. Situated about 42 km northwest of Port Hardy and only about 15 minutes southwest of Holberg, this is a unique stop to get a glimpse of what it was like millions of years ago. And it is good entertainment to be had for adults and kids alike.

Ronning's Garden

Ronning's Garden is located about 66 km west of Port Hardy and about 30 minutes north-west of Holberg. Once the house of Norwegian settler Bernt Ronning, whose dream was to build a beautiful garden, he cleared over five acres of rainforest to do so. Now this heritage place is tended by volunteers and welcomes everyone, free or by donation.

The Beaches

The beaches on the northern tip of Vancouver Island are, in my opinion, a paradise; there are no other words to describe them. Here are the four that we had the privilege to experience and fall in love with:

Grant bay

The far and wide sandy beach shows rocky, rugged formations to one end that create the most beautiful tide pools filled with sea anemones, fish, hermit crabs, sea stars, and more. Situated about an hour and forty-five minutes from Port Hardy and close to 40 minutes from Holberg, this place requires a short ten-minute hike through a somewhat muddy and uneven trail, so if you plan to camp here, it is best if you have your backcountry gear with you to make it easier.

My family and I hadn't really planned on camping away from the vehicle, but as soon as we saw this place, we just couldn't resist making it our home for a couple of days, and we are glad we did! The camping spots are well spread through the beach, so they offer some privacy; campfires are allowed; and an open-air toilet is available.

Here, we spent a couple of my favourite days of this whole trip, listening to the sound of the roaring ocean, walking on the beach, enjoying mesmerizing sunsets, and cold-dipping in the surf.

I was surprised this beach is not part of any provincial park, as it is truly beautiful, and what's more, we got to enjoy it mostly to ourselves the entire time.

Cape Scott Provincial Park

San Joseph Bay

One of the most popular beaches on the northern tip of Vancouver Island is without a doubt San Joseph Bay in Cape Scott Provincial Park, and there is no wonder why; its vast sandy beach and rock formations are some of the most unique and beautiful ones out there. Situated 70 km west of Port Hardy and about 35 minutes north-west of Holberg, this beach requires a 2.5 km hike that will usually take 45 minutes one way. Having said that, the trail is well-maintained and easy to walk; therefore, if you decide to camp here, you can even bring a wagon or a stroller.

Camping sites are well spread through the beach and offer some privacy, which you might need since it is a popular spot in the park. This park offers pit toilets and bear caches. Camping fees apply from May to September.

We visited at low tide, and, oh man, oh man! You can walk the beach for quite a distance and marvel at the sea stacks and the beautiful scenery all around.

Raft Cove Provincial Park

Raft Cove

An amazing beach just south of San Joseph Bay and a little less popular, this beach is not less beautiful; even though we got to see it on a stormy day, it didn't disappoint.

With a quiet hilly landscape and rugged coastline, it is a must-see and explore.

Situated about 73 km west of Port Hardy and about 38 minutes (23km) south-west of Holberg, this beach requires a 2 km hike that takes 40 minutes on average. The trail is extremely muddy and very uneven, with lots of roots, so be prepared for that. This provincial park offers beach camping spots that have good privacy and have food caches and two open-air pit toilets. Camping fees apply from May to September.

Palmerston Beach

Situated just north of Raft Cove Provincial Park, Palmerston Beach is a beautiful place to visit, with lots of driftwood and rock formations that create tide pools. Although it is not a sandy beach, it is still beautiful.

When the tide goes out, more rock formations appear just off shore, and it's quite amazing to see. My husband spent some time free diving here while the kiddo and I were chilling on the beach, searching for sea creatures on the rock formations, and exploring the surrounding area. We found a few camping spots, kind of hidden in the trees, that had some benches and a rock-fire ring and offered a beautiful view of the bay.

Situated 76 km west of Port Hardy and about 40 minutes west of Holberg, this beach requires a short, five-minute walk on an uneven path. Don't miss the trailhead, which is located on the left side, a few meters before the road ends.

Things to Know When Travelling to the Northern Tip of Vancouver Island

However you choose to do the drive, take into consideration what I mentioned above about Port Hardy being the last bigger town you'll encounter before stepping into the wilderness; therefore, if you need to stock up on food and drinks, this would be a good place to do so.

If you forgot something, there is no need to panic; there is a small general store in Holberg where you will be able to find basic camping items like fuel, fishing gear, snacks, coffee, and even do a load of laundry. They also offer car service, gas, and a bed and breakfast if you are not up for camping. From there, you can easily explore some of the shores, including San Joseph Bay, which is only about 35 minutes away.

Another place you can stay in Holberg is at Scarlet Ibis Pub & Adventure Huts Rental, which offers ocean view hut rentals with basic amenities for about $100 a night. If you don't mind staying a bit further, consider also: Port Hardy Port McNeil Port Alice

If you plan to have a campfire, you might want to consider bringing your own wood. Contrary to what we thought, there are not really places that will sell it around here, but if you need some, there is a place that might be able to help.

Logging trucks are present on some of these roads from Monday to Friday. Drive with caution, and always yield to logging trucks.

The northern tip of Vancouver Island is a good place to spot a variety of wildlife, including black bears, cougars, and wolves. Get familiar with the bear safety guidelines, the wolf safety guidelines, and the cougar safety guidelines.

There is no cell service in this area, but if you need to use wifi, you can find it at Holberg General Store and at Scarlet Ibis Pub for a small fee. For emergency purposes, consider bringing a satellite phone as well.

Campsites outside Cape Scott Provincial Park

If you want or need to camp close to your vehicle and still be able to explore San Joseph Bay or adjacent places, there are two campsites just on the outskirts of Cape Scot Provincial Park. One is the San Joseph Heritage Campsite, which is a very interesting place. With 20 sites, this privately owned campground offers fire rings, and pit toilets. The second camping spot is Western Forest Products-San Joseph Campsite, which is a small site that offers picnic tables, fire rinks, and pit toilets, and it's free.

Remember, water is limited throughout this area, so bringing your own potable water is a must.

Wrapping up:

We didn't even scratch the surface of what this portion of Vancouver Island has to offer because there is so much to see; nonetheless, what we did see was breathtaking, giving us the impression that time had paused for a little while just to allow us joy.

We truly hope that your visit to this breathtaking region of British Columbia leaves you as amazed as it did us.

Happy exploring!