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tiny communities
The North’s North

The tiny village of Holberg sits at the most westerly end of Holberg Inlet. Access to this community is via a 50 km (31 mi) gravel logging road leading west from Port Hardy. In its early days Holberg existed as a floating camp, at one time the world’s largest, for forestry workers in the area. Logging operations are completely land-based here today.

Area Highlights
Gateway to Cape Scott and the North Coast Trail

Holberg is the last stop for backpackers set to tackle the Cape Scott Trail and the North Coast Trail. These trails attract visitors from all over the world for their stunning views and untouched wilderness experiences. Find out more about hiking on Vancouver Island North.

Ronning’s Garden

A notable attraction near town is one of the region’s most famous: Ronning’s Garden. Carved out of the rainforest in 1910 by original owner Bernt Ronning, this vast exotic garden was grown from fascinating plants brought by the original owner from around the world. Today, a small group of volunteers tends to the five-acre property which includes a collection of bamboos, rhododendrons, Japanese maples and a number of monkey puzzle trees, old and new, including the tallest recorded in North America.

Holberg
Shoe tree

Also, be sure to stop and see the Shoe Tree outside Holberg, at the eastern end of Kains Lake. This old cedar snag is covered with hundreds of shoes contributed by hikers returning from the west coast.

Getting here & Getting around

Holberg is a 1 hour drive from Port Hardy on a logging road. For safety information regarding driving on logging roads, visit the Know Before You Go page. Also called Forest Service Roads, this network of gravel roads that connects us to the back-country, was constructed primarily for the forest resource industry.

For information on Vancouver Island North see Drive BC provincial highway information.

Explore Vancouver Island North
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