campfirekitimat
Kitimat is known by many as the ultimate sportsman's paradise. The town itself is the epitome of urban architecture and design and is beautifully integrated into the surrounding wilderness of Northwest British Columbia. The flat delta-like swath of valley-bottom crowning the head of the Douglas Channel seemed the ideal location for a town-site. But despite the presence of a few European settlers in the area, it was not fully developed until just after the second-world war. During the 1950s the world's largest aluminum smelter, the Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan), accepted an invitation from the Canadian Government to develop the area's resources to allow the construction and operation of the plant.
Though Kitimat has since become a sport-fishing and hunting capital of Canada, it has more recently, given its diverse wildlife population, majestic rainforest, and unique ocean channel landscape, developed a reputation as a wilderness excursion hub.
• Coste Rocks consists of two small, rocky islands and a nearby reef off the south end of Coste Island. The Coste Rock islands are the top of an underwater pillar that has vertical faces to a depth of 45-meters. The rocks are also a popular haul out spot for harbour seals which can often be seen there. Coste Rocks Park is located roughly 23 km south of Kitimat by boat on the south end of Coste Island. It can be found on chart 3743 (Douglas Channel).
• Weewanie Hot Springs Parks is a boat access only park providing hot springs with a bath house for soaking on a semi-sheltered bay. Weewanie Hot Springs Park is located roughly 38 km south of Kitimat on the east side of Devastation Channel. It can be found on chart 3743 (Douglas Channel). Access is by boat only.
• Brim River Protected Area and the adjoining Owyacumish River Park epitomize the rugged terrain and spectacular scenery of the BC north coast. The area contains tidal hotsprings and their unique plant associations, old-growth forests, and an exceptional range of undisturbed natural plant communities. Brim River Protected Area is located on the North side of the Gardener Canal approximately 70 km southeast of Kitamaat Village. Access is by boat only. Eagle Bay Park contains a partially sheltered anchorage with a gravel beach. There are two mooring buoys for boaters. Recreational opportunities include beach walking, crabbing and camping.
• Eagle Bay Park is located roughly 20 km south of Kitimat on the west side of Devastation Channel. It can be found on chart 3743 (Douglas Channel). Access is by boat only.
• Foch-Gilttoyees Park and Protected Area protects 60,000 hectares of rugged coastal terrain, from sea level to mountain peak. The park is nestled in the Coastal mountain range on the north side of the Douglas Channel and it envelops a diversity of landscapes and features including pristine freshwater drainages, bordered by steep rocky slopes covered with old-growth forests, numerous waterfalls, tidal estuaries, unique tidal narrows, and a windswept coastline. Snow-covered peaks, glacial tarns, cirque basins, and receding glaciers cap the park. Foch-Gilttoyees Park and Protected Area is located roughly 33 km southwest of Kitimat on the west side of Douglas Channel. It can be found on chart 3743 (Douglas Channel). Access is by boat only.
• Exchamsiks River Provincial Park offers visitors two day use areas. The coastal Sitka spruce rainforest towers over this park at the confluence of the Exchamsiks and Skeena Rivers west of Terrace. Salmon fishing nearby can be extremely productive and you can walk the self-guided nature trail. The park is located 56 km west of Terrace on highway 16.