In this section, we cover the portion of Vancouver Island from the town of Campbell River -- the "Salmon-Fishing Capital of the World" -- northward. West of Campbell River lies Strathcona Provincial Park, the oldest provincial park in British Columbia and the largest on Vancouver Island.
The waters along the island's northeast coast near Port McNeill are home to both resident and transient orca whales; the latter move annually from Johnstone Strait to the open Pacific. In this vicinity are also two tiny unique communities: the First Nations town of Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, and Telegraph Cove, a boardwalk community on pilings above the rocky shore.
The Island Highway's final port of call, Port Hardy is the starting point for the Inside Passage ferry cruise up the northern coast. It carries passengers bound for Prince Rupert, where it meets the ferries to the Queen Charlotte Islands and to Alaska, and links to the Yellowhead Highway and VIA Rail's Skeena run.
