This is where I grew up wild and free.

Port Hardy is the small gateway town for northern Vancouver Island and the nearby wilds, so treat it primarily as your last stop for fuel, groceries, gear and bookings before heading into remote areas. You will find a visitor centre, a handful of accommodations and operators for whale watching, bear viewing and fishing charters, but services are limited, so book ferries, flights and tours well in advance during summer and top up fuel and supplies while you can. Expect changeable, often cool and wet weather, patchy cell service outside town and rugged multi-day hikes like Cape Scott, so bring layered rain gear, good boots and insect repellent. If you need basic medical care, the clinic can handle minor issues, but for anything serious, you will be evacuated to larger centres, so plan accordingly.