Vancouver to Bella Coola Road Trip: The Ultimate Planning Guide

In Bella Coola/Latest on the blog11 min read

We started planning the Vancouver to Bella Coola road trip soon after we moved to British Columbia, lured by the promise of seeing grizzly bears fishing for salmon in the Atnarko River. But the more we learned about Bella Coola, the more our list of must-see places grew beyond just bear watching.

We call this the ultimate road trip for a good reason. It’s almost 1,000 km by land from Vancouver to Bella Coola (about the length of the UK), and it winds through some of the most diverse landscapes you could ask for: forests, mountains, sand dunes and lakes, all within the same province. If you follow our route and take a ferry from Bella Coola to Vancouver Island on the way back, you’ll also see fjords, beaches and rainforests. In total, the whole journey covers 1,730 km and takes 29 hours.

In this post, we’ll share practical tips for planning your own Vancouver to Bella Coola road trip, including route options, places to stay, how to book the Bella Coola ferry and our favourite stops. To make the most of your trip, also check out our guide to the best things to do in Bella Coola.

You can use the following table of contents to find what you need quickly.

Where is Bella Coola

Bella Coola lies between the north end of Vancouver Island and the Alaska border, in the traditional territory of the Nuxalk (pronounced ‘new-hawk’). Even though driving there feels like heading deep into the north of the province, it’s actually part of the Central Coast region.

When people talk about Bella Coola, they usually mean the entire Bella Coola Valley, which includes the Bella Coola townsite and a few other small communities. The valley is bordered by Tweedsmuir Provincial Park and the Pacific Ocean, which makes it quite literally the end of the road and one of the most isolated places in British Columbia.

How to Get to Bella Coola from Vancouver – Route Options

You can reach Bella Coola in three ways: drive, fly, or take a ferry. If you’re driving, you have two routes to choose from. Below, you’ll find what you need to know about each of them.

Option 1: Drive the whole way from Vancouver to Bella Coola and back

If you’re determined to drive every kilometre from Vancouver to Bella Coola without setting foot on a ferry, you have two options:

1. Sea to Sky (Highway 99) via Whistler
2. Highway 1 via Abbotsford and Hope

Both routes are similar in length and driving time and they eventually meet at Cache Creek. The Whistler route is technically a bit shorter, but the Hope route is usually a little faster. You can always go up one way and come back the other to mix things up.

After Cache Creek, there are no more choices, as there’s only one road for the rest of the way to Bella Coola. You take Highway 97 to Williams Lake and then Highway 20 the rest of the way.  The descent into the valley is on a steep dirt road called “The Hill” which drops over 1,200 m in just 20 km. With grades of up to 18%, narrow sections and some huge, unprotected drops right off the edge of the road, it requires your full attention. Once you make it to the bottom, it’s about another hour to Bella Coola.

Option 2: Drive from Vancouver to Bella Coola and return by ferry via Vancouver Island 

Another option is to do what we did and drive to Bella Coola, then take the Northern Sea Wolf ferry to Vancouver Island. This brings you to Port Hardy at the very top of the island. If you still have some adventure left in you (and if you’ve made it this far, you probably do), you can spend extra time exploring the island.

If you’re set on heading home, drive along the east coast towards Nanaimo and catch a final ferry back to Vancouver. That said, the ferry from Bella Coola doesn’t arrive in Port Hardy until 5 pm and it’s another 4 hours to Nanaimo, so you’ll probably need to stop for the night along the way.

Option 3: Return flight from Vancouver to Bella Coola

You can take the quick route and fly with Pacific Coastal Air from Vancouver’s South Terminal (YVR) to Bella Coola in less than 90 minutes.  We haven’t done it, but we can only imagine how incredible the scenery of the rugged mountain ranges and the coast is from up high.

Planning The Route 

You can, if you enjoy marathon drives, do the entire route in a single day. We wouldn’t recommend it. This is the kind of trip that begs to be stretched over several days. But with so many kilometres to cover, where do you even start?

When we moved to British Columbia, we made a Google map with pins for every place we wanted to visit.  Over the years, the number of pins have multiplied so much that we’ll need a couple of lifetimes to see everything. But it was very helpful for planning this trip. We picked our must-see spots first and then worked out how much time we needed to see them.

Our 12 Day Itinerary:

Day 1 – Vancouver to Riske Creek (7 hours)
Day 2 – Riske Creek to Nimpo Lake (3 hours)
Day 3 – Nimpo Lake to Bella Coola (2 hours)
Day 4 – 9 – Explore the Bella Coola Valley
Day 10 – Bella Coola to Port Hardy (10.5 hours)
Day 11 – San Josef Bay from Port Hardy 
Day 12 – Port Hardy to Vancouver via Nanaimo (7.5 hours)

Suggested Itinerary If It’s Your First Time in BC 

If this were our first time in British Columbia and we wanted to experience Vancouver Island as well, here’s what we would do:

Day 1 – Vancouver to Whistler (or Pemberton)
Day 2 – Whistler to Cache Creek
Day 3 – Cache Creek to Riske Creek (or Williams Lake)
Day 4 – Riske Creek to Nimpo Lake (or Tatla Lake)
Day 5 – Nimpo Lake to Bella Coola 
Day 6 – 9 – Explore the Bella Coola Valley
Day 10 – Bella Coola to Port Hardy (or Port McNeill or Campbell River)
Day 11 – Wildlife watching tour
Day 12 – Port Hardy to Tofino 
Day 13 – 16 – Explore Tofino and Ucluelet
Day 17 – Tofino to Parksville – explore Cathedral Grove 
Day 18 – Parksville to Vancouver via Nanaimo

We recommend that you take Highway 99 through Whistler instead of Highway 1 as it’s more picturesque with a lot more to see along the way for a first-time visitor. Read our Sea to Sky Road Trip Guide for more advice.

The stand-out places we made it to on our trip

We planned our trip around three specific places and experiences. While there’s plenty more to see along the way, these were the stops we were most excited about. Here’s a quick overview, in case you’re looking for ideas.

Farwell Canyon in Riske Creek 

Farwell Canyon is hidden away in Riske Creek in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia. If you haven’t heard of it, don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone.

The nearest town is Williams Lake, about twenty minutes from the canyon turnoff. If you want to drive to Bella Coola in just two days, it makes the most sense to break up the journey here. It takes 6.5 hours to get to Williams Lake from Vancouver, which is a little more than halfway. This is also where the Bella Coola Highway starts. It’s the nearest town to Bella Coola, though ‘nearest’ in Canadian terms means it’s still a good five hours away. There are no high-rises to speak of, but it’s a much bigger town than any other along the way.

The drive to Farwell Canyon takes about 20 minutes on a dirt road. You don’t need a 4×4, but loose gravel and washboard sections make it easier in an SUV, or you can drive slowly. Locals told us the canyon isn’t as impressive as it once was because a massive landslide in 2024 caused a flood that considerably changed the landscape. Having missed the ‘before’ version, we can only say it was beautiful and definitely worth a detour.

Floatplane Tour from Nimpo Lake

As you drive along the Chilcotin Plateau, the highway is quiet, with vast grasslands and forests stretching out on both sides. Random fact, but since the land is open range, you’ll occasionally see cows standing right in the middle of the road.

The area feels really remote and it might seem like there’s not much to do, but there are many gems hidden along the way. One of them is Nimpo Lake, about two hours before you reach Bella Coola. This is the place to go if you want to see the landscape from above. Tweedsmuir Air can take you up in a floatplane to see sights such as the Rainbow Range, Monarch Icefields and Hunlen Falls, the third tallest single-drop waterfall in Canada.

A side note: while waiting for our flight and sipping complimentary coffee on the deck, we heard wolves calling to each other, one on our side of the lake, another answering from the far shore. It was, I have to say, very cool.

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If you’d like to stay in the area, you’ll find a great selection of lakeside cabins, ranches, and wilderness resorts such as Retreat Wilderness Inn and Eagle’s Nest Resort. Some are rustic, some a bit more plush, but they all guarantee plenty of peace and quiet.

The only provincial campsite along Highway 20 is Bull Canyon Park, but there are many recreational sites (unserviced and free to use) if you want to spend a night under the stars with only the local wildlife for company.

After coming all this way, it seems a shame to rush. Who knows when you’ll be back?

San Josef Bay on Vancouver Island

One of the main reasons we took the ferry from Bella Coola to Port Hardy was to finally see northern Vancouver Island. We explored the southern and central parts plenty of times, but the north was still uncharted territory for us, mostly because it’s an 8 hour trip from Vancouver. Plus, San Josef Bay had been on our bucket list for a while, so this seemed like the perfect chance to finally see it.

The bay is gorgeous, make no mistake, but getting there is not exactly easy. There’s a 2 hour drive on a rough, active logging road to reach the trailhead, which is about as relaxing as it sounds. For that reason, we wouldn’t suggest taking the ferry just to see it. But if you’re planning a longer trip to the area, it’s definitely worth it. And if you can get a camping permit for San Josef Bay, even more so. The sites are right on the beach, so it’s a pretty spectacular place to camp.

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Other Useful Things To Know

1. Driving to Bella Coola

Navigating the Gravel

The pavement ends at Anahim Lake, so bring a spare tire and a jack just in case.

What to Expect on ‘The Hill’ (the Most Challenging Part)

The last stretch of road from the Chilcotin Plateau to the Bella Coola Valley is a dirt road known as ‘The Hill’ or ‘Freedom Road‘. It has switchbacks, hairpin turns and at one point the descent hits an 18% grade. Depending on who you ask, it’s either terrifying or just another mountain road in British Columbia.

We found it wasn’t as bad as people say, but we have a 4×4, lots of driving experience and feel confident behind the wheel. If you’re not a confident driver, we can see how it can be stressful. So keep that in mind. Do your own research and let the most experienced driver in your group take the wheel.

Still, daylight is your friend and you should have your wits about you as there are big drop-offs with no railing. We saw several RVs on the Hill, proving it’s manageable if you go slow and use low gear.

Gas, groceries and supplies

Gas stations and grocery stores are rare between Williams Lake and Bella Coola. They’re small, can close early and occasionally run out of fuel. There were more than we expected, but we were topping off the tank more often than usual just in case.

2. Taking the BC ferry to/from Bella Coola

Let’s be honest, the Bella Coola ferry isn’t cheap. But if you live on Vancouver Island, the convenience might be worth it. Similarly, if you’re visiting this part of British Columbia for the first and maybe the only time, taking the ferry will allow you to see and experience much more. When we took a BC ferry for the first time shortly after moving to Vancouver, we were amazed by the experience and I try to remember that when giving recommendations. It’s quite common to see whales on the Bella Coola route, but it’s not a sightseeing tour, so it shouldn’t be a factor in making a decision, just a bonus if it happens.

If you do take the ferry as we did, make sure to spend some time on the island and make the most of your time. Go whale watching. Go bear watching as trips from Port Hardy and Campbell River are some of the best in BC (though that might be redundant coming back from Bella Coola 😉). If you just drive to Nanaimo and call it a day, you’ve missed the point. A detour to Tofino and Ucluelet, now that’s a decision you won’t regret! Vancouver Island, by the way, deserves its own blog post, but we’ll spare you – for now.

From mid-September to mid-June, service is limited, so check the BC Ferries schedule and book before you plan around it. The ferry is relatively small and it sells out, so many people reserve 6 months early.

3. Flying to Bella Coola

The flight with Pacific Coastal Air is quick and convenient, but the downside is you won’t have a car and there are no transport options in Bella Coola Valley. There’s a car rental place, but you can’t take their vehicles onto Forest Service Roads (they’re specifically excluded in the rental agreement), which means you can’t venture off the beaten path. A good choice then might be to book an all-inclusive stay, where your days are planned and your transport is included.

Final Thoughts on Planning Your Bella Coola Road Trip

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Don’t underestimate the wonders along this route. There are hidden gems everywhere, like the historic Nlak’pamux Church in Spences Bridge, dramatic landscapes of Farwell Canyon and the gold rush-era towns like Cache Creek. Give yourself time and add at least one extra day to really enjoy it all. And if you’re not from Vancouver, consider taking the Sea to Sky through Whistler for even more spectacular scenery.

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