Port Alberni, Alberni Valley

View a Map of the Pacific Rim.

• View from Port Alberni down Alberni Inlet

  Alberni Inlet: Port Alberni sits at the head of Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. The town is actually a saltwater port, situated 40 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Vancouver Island! The Alberni Inlet is a long indentation that reaches so far inland from the Pacific Ocean that it comes to within just 30 miles (48 km) of Parksville on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

• Alberni Harbour Quay at the foot of Argyle Street in downtown Port Alberni is a friendly conglomeration of restaurants, galleries, tour operators, and shops where visitors can find an island souvenir for friends back home. In summer, the steam locomotive Two Spot departs from the station at the head of the quay for a tourist tour along the waterfront.

• Whaling Sculpture: On display on the boardwalk at Victoria Quay is a Nuu-Chah-Nulth Whaling Canoe sculpture, carved from yellow and red cedar. The elaborate carving is a replica of an historical First Nations whaler's canoe pursuing a grey whale, considered as a great gift from the Creators.

• McLean Mill National Historic Site: Step back in time and experience the heritage of British Columbia's forest industry at the restored McLean Steam Sawmill. A troupe of professional actors breathes life into the very people who built this province. Through daily interpretive drama, songs, stories, and dance, the period characters show how it was for the pioneers of the logging industry. The site is accessible to the public year round, with mill demonstrations, theatre presentations, and tours operating from May to September. Located on Smith Road off Beaver Creek Road, north of Port Alberni.

• Alberni Valley Museum collections tell the story of Alberni Valley community history, Nuu Chah Nulth art and culture and the region's industrial roots, from logging to fishing and farming. Displays include an exceptional display of local artifacts and original native crafts, such as the intricately woven cedar bark baskets of the Nuu Chah Nulth people.

• Murals: Eighteen colourful murals adorn the buildings of downtown Port Alberni, celebrating the life and heritage of the Alberni Valley. A self-guided tour map of the Port Alberni murals is available at the Visitor Centre.

• Flying Water Tankers: During the forest fire season, the gigantic Martin Mars water bombers use Sproat Lake for their runway as they thunder off to extinguish forest fires. The largest water bombers in the world, these aircraft can scoop up to 27 tons of water off the lake surface. One or more of the enormous red and white water bombers are moored on Sproat Lake at the Coulson Flying Tankers visitor centre on Cherry Creek Road, which is open to the public daily during July and August. Guided tours of the Philippine Mars are available.

• Tsunami: Port Alberni was devastated by a tsunami on Good Friday, March 27, 1964. The tidal wave reached three metres above the high water mark and destroyed everything in its path - without loss of life! Anchorage in Alaska was rocked by one of the strongest earthquakes of the century, measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale and raising a section of the ocean floor by 15 metres. The resulting waves travelled from the Gulf of Alaska, reaching speeds in open water of up to 720 km/h, At midnight, 4-1/2 hours after the earthquake, the first of these waves entered the mouth of Alberni Inlet. As the waves entered the funnel-shaped inlet, the narrowing shoreline forced the waves to pile up. In 10 minutes the wave advanced 60 kilometres (360 km/h) toward Port Alberni. The second wave was the most damaging, cresting three metres above the high tide mark when it raced inland and into the homes of sleeping residents. Four less forceful waves stormed in between 3am and 6.45am, reaching levels about two metres above the high tide mark. When the sun broke through the mist the next morning, 58 properties had been destroyed, 350 buildings damaged, and 300 cars written off, but nobody was drowned or even seriously injured.

• Robertson Creek Hatchery officially opened in 1960, when it was the largest artificial spawning channel in North America. It is now the most successful hatchery on Vancouver Island, producing nearly 10 million smolts annually; chinook salmon, coho salmon and steelhead trout. The hatchery is open from 08:30 to 15:30 Monday to Friday, with an open house on the third Sunday of October every year. Drive through Port Alberni on Highway 4 and turn right on Great Central Lake Road. Follow the signs to the hatchery.

• Somass Estuary Project: Almost 160 species of birds have been found on the land that is part of the Somass Estuary Project. Comprised of intertidal marshes, mudflats, forested islands and lowland meadows, the estuary lies at the head of the narrow 40-km-long Alberni Inlet, creating one of the most protected winter feeding sites for waterfowl migrating and wintering along the west coast of Vancouver Island. Some of the winter residents include the once endangered Trumpeter Swan, Canada Geese, and many species of ducks. The Estuary teems with black bears, bald eagles, black-tailed deer, beavers, mink, harbour seals, as well as five species of salmon. This property was purchased by Ducks Unlimited, and a variety of other government and local organizations, to protect it from development and to protect the fish and bird habitat. The Somass River is the second largest river on Vancouver Island, draining the land around Sproat Lake, Great Central Lake and reaching into Strathcona Provincial Park.

• Spawning Salmon: Upwards of half a million salmon make their way to their spawning grounds via the Stamp River in the fall. Follow Beaver Creek Road about 7.5 miles (12 km) north from Hwy 4 to Stamp River Provincial Park. Watch for pullouts beside the river along the way. A spectacular waterfall at the park is perhaps the best place on Vancouver island to see salmon migrating. Below the falls is a canyon where you can view hundreds of fish awaiting their turn at the falls and the fish ladder beside it. Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery place video cameras at the top of the fish ladder for public viewing and to count the numbers of fish using it.

• Fishing: Port Alberni hums with visitor activity during fishing season. The town has a freshwater fishing side that would be the envy of any fishing town anywhere. Freshwater streams and lakes near Port Alberni are filled with steelhead, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. Actively feeding spring salmon begin appearing in March as they follow the bountiful herring and anchovy spawning runs. Springs linger into May, when they are replaced by early-run tyee (also called chinook) salmon migrating in the Alberni Inlet. Sockeye salmon succeed the early-run tyee in late June and are joined by late-run tyee, the largest of all salmon, in July and August. The Somas River runs through the heart of town. Bank casting is possible from a number of locations beside Highway 4 and along Hector Road off Hwy 4 west of Port Alberni. Just north of Port Alberni, the Stamp River would probably make every chinook and steelhead angler's top ten list. A winter run of steelhead occurs in the Stamp River, beginning in January and lasting through March.

• Sproat Lake also has a good reputation for rainbow trout angling, particularly June through September. Use the boat launch here to head out for some trolling or casting. April and May are good months for steelhead in Sproat Lake.

• China Creek is one of the chief staging areas for fishing the Alberni Inlet, located 9 miles (14 km) south of Port Alberni on the road to Bamfield. You'll find a marina, a private campground, a boat launch, and quite possibly a salmon or two. Primary fish runs in China Creek include cutthroat trout from January to March, and steelhead from October to December. China Creek offers a privately operated marina and campground.

• Golf: The Hollies Executive Golf Course is surrounded by the Beaufort Range and breathtaking views of Mount Arrowsmith. The 9-hole par 30 public course offers a fully stocked pro-shop, club rentals, snack shop and licensed lounge. Located 2 km past the Visitor Info Centre on Highway 4 entering Port Alberni. Open daily from dawn till dusk, with no tee times required. Golf Vacations on Vancouver Island.

• Click here for More Attractions in Port Alberni