Travel in Prince Rupert in Western Canada
Itineraries: Detailed Travel Itineraries in Canada (Free)
Prince Rupert is a small town in Canada with a population of 13,000, considered the rainiest place in Canada. The cruise terminal is located within a very short and convenient walking distance from the town center and the Cow Bay district. The town is located on Kaien Island on the northern coast of British Columbia, very close to southern Alaska. The region is considered part of the world's largest temperate rainforest.
Below is a description of two tours in this location:
Group Forest Tour from the Cruise Ship
A tour in a small group of only 11 passengers with a driver and two guides. Drive for about ten minutes to the local rainforest where there is a 5.4 km loop trail called Butze Rapids Interpretive Trail.
The trail is of easy to moderate difficulty. It is well maintained, wide, and mostly covered in wood chips, but has some sections with inclines and declines. A leisurely walk with stops for various explanations takes about two hours. Walking in the forest with tall trees partly covered in moss, among blooming bushes and abundant vegetation.
About halfway through the trail, you reach a viewing platform overlooking a water channel. Due to extreme tidal differences, the water is pushed with high force through a narrow pass, creating a phenomenon of "reversing falls" that change their flow direction according to the tide.
Along the way, you also pass through a marshier area.
Forest trail map:
Independent Tour in Town
The town is a short distance from the port. It is nice to walk around the Cow Bay district adjacent to the cruise dock.
This is a historic waterfront area turned into a trendy district filled with shops, galleries, and cafes, mostly housed in colorful buildings on stilts.
From there, continue to the courthouse located near totem poles and the Sunken Gardens park—a small, charming, and hidden park built inside a subterranean World War II bunker, filled with local vegetation and flowers.
Along the path overlooking our ship, we passed various monuments, a small museum, and an abundance of cherry trees that were still in full bloom.
For more information about the town and tours in the surrounding area: https://visitprincerupert.com/experience/outdoor-adventure/