The Village of Port Alice is a picturesque community built on a mountainside affording excellent views of Neroutsos Inlet from every vantage point. It is accessed via a short, scenic drive on a paved section of highway (Hwy 30). The community is a gateway to the wild west coast where visitors can explore further via logging road or boat to areas like Side Bay, Gooding Cove, Harvey Cove, Brooks Peninsula, and Klaskino Inlet. It is also known as the Sea Otter Capital of Canada!
- Population of 739
- Visitor Centre
- Outdoor Playground
- Seawalk
- Alice Lake Loop Tour
- Heritage Center
- 9-Hole Golf Course
- Kayak and Paddle Board Launch
Port Alice boasts a long list of excellent outdoor recreation opportunities in and around the community, including fishing, boating, golfing, hiking, mountain biking and camping. The Neroutsos Inlet, part of Quatsino Sound, offers prime saltwater fishing and presents many sheltered inlets and bays that are perfect for kayaking or diving. A short distance from the village, the Marble River Campsite on Highway 30, Link River and Spruce Bay Campsites on Alice Lake, Victoria Lake and the Port Alice RV Park are among the many possibilities for freshwater fishing, camping, swimming and outdoor recreation. The Marble River Trail, located just off Hwy 30, features a hiking trail to breathtaking Bear Falls.
Mountain bikers and hikers can experience the Rumble Mountain Bike Trail, offering beginner and advanced downhill and cross-country trails just behind the village. Explorers also love the unique land features such as Devil’s Bath, Disappearing River and Eternal Fountain, rare limestone formations that are part of a karst system that honeycombs the region.
Within the Village, the Seawalk, a wheelchair-accessible pathway, offers visitors a chance to wander along the community coastline, have a picnic or journey to Walk-out Island at low tide. The Seawalk also provides excellent vantage points for wildlife viewing. Many species of birds, migrating salmon, Orca and Humpback Whales and Stellar Sea Lions all visit Neroutsos Inlet at different times throughout the year. If you are keen to get onto the water, there are fishing and wildlife viewing charters available. Don’t forget to stop in at Foggy Mountain Coffee for your coffee, specialty coffee, milkshake, smoothie, breakfast or lunch, or grab some lunch at McWilkie’s Food truck located at the marina!
The Alice Lake Loop Tour is a fantastic opportunity to see a series of ancient Quatsino karst and limestone formations. On this tour there are 4 distinct viewing points of the Eternal Fountain, Devil’s Bath, the Vanishing River and the Reappearing River. The Eternal Fountain is a naturally occurring swallet, which is when a stream disappears underground. Further on the loop you will come across the Devil’s Bath which is the largest cenote in Canada at a size of 359 meters in diameter and 44 meters in depth. Next up is the Vanishing River and the Reappearing River; just as their names suggest this is where part of the Benson River disappears and flows underground for 2 km before resurfacing at the Reappearing River.
Port Alice is located roughly 45 minutes from both Port McNeill and Port Hardy via Highway 30, which is paved.
For information on Vancouver Island North see Drive BC provincial highway information.
In the heart of the Village, the Tourism & Heritage Center offers a place to purchase unique gifts from Port Alice artisans and crafters. Golfers tee off at the Port Alice Golf and Country Club, a challenging nine-hole, par-three course carved out of the mountainside. If you are looking for an adventure on the water, Launch your kayak or paddleboard for at the kayak dock or charter a fishing boat or wildlife tour!
Relax in this quiet place and to be surrounded by majestic west coast scenery and lifestyle, or explore as a do it yourself adventurer. Visitors will find beautiful and modern B&B’s, vacation rental homes, and a full-service campground. Services include a grocery store, hardware store, pharmacy, liquor store, food truck, pizza place, and coffee shop.