Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The MV Uchuck III cruises out to Nootka Sound.
CAMPBELL RIVER TO PORT MCNEILL
Highway 19, covering the 235 kilometers (146 miles) between Campbell River and Port
Hardy, is a good road with plenty of straight stretches and not much traffic. Passing through
relatively untouched wilderness (with only logged hillsides to remind you of the ugliness
humanity can produce with such ease), it's almost as though you've entered another world,
or at least another island. Stop at all of the frequent lookouts for the best views of endless
forest, deep blue mountains, white peaks, sparkling rivers and lakes, and cascading water-
falls.
Port McNeill
After taking a convoluted inland route for 130 kilometers (81 miles), Highway 19 returns to
the coastline at Port McNeill (population 2,600), a good base for visiting Malcolm Island
and Alert Bay. Head beyond the main street and you'll find the world's largest burl, which
was cut from a 350-year-old Sitka spruce in 2005. A burl is a rounded outgrowth—a kind
of deformation—found in some tree trunks. Most burls are plate-sized, but this one is es-
timated to weigh 30 tons and is around 18 meters (60 feet) in circumference.
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