Gorge Harbour To Campbell River

August 26 th To 29 th

Trip Length 17 nm

We got out of Gorge Marina around 10 am for our short rip to Campbell River Coast Marina.  DestinationCambpell river. A largish town (35k, the biggest we have been to in weeks) and the “salmon capital of the world”.  When leaving Gorge Harbour you have to take a hard turn to starboard to get around the spit extending southward from Marina Island.  The channel around the spit at the end of Marina Island is pretty narrow but well marked.  There is a nice anchorage along the east side of the spit we passed on our way by that was very crowded with anchored boats.  We rounded the light house at the south end of Quadra Island ending up fighting a 2-3 knot current for the last mile in to the Campbell River Coast Marina.  This is a smaller family owned marina run by a father and son, highly recommended.  They even provided a free ride over to Elk Falls where we hiked back to the boat. 

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The first day we walked north of our marina to Robert V. Ostler Park and then checked out Fishermans Wharf Marina Pier Farmers market and had some lunch at the baba ganoush foodtruck. Some artists had booths and some veges/bread baked goods. We bought some strawberries. Walked back along pier street and found a thrift shop where we picked up some paniers and a plumbers wrench.

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Once we checked out the boats at Fishermans Wharf we turned around and went north past Discovery Harbour Marina past an indian grave yard.  The town has put interpretive signs a long the way. There is a cemetery/burial ground on the way out to the spit and many totem poles honored graves as well as grave stones. Some Indian named Henderson carved mosteverything in town (I think he is gone but children carry on).  Hoping to go to Elk Falls provincial parktomorrow with the doggies.

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A little further north we passed the Tyee Club which is in front of Tyee pool famous for it’s salmon.  The members fish in skiff’s where you must row to catch a Tayee salmon to join the club.

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Past the club is dick Murphy Park which dead ends at Campbell river.

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The next day the owner of the marina was nice enough to drive us over to Elk Falls Trail Head where we started our hike back to the marina along the banks of the Cambell River on the millennium and canyon view trails.

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The trail head is close to the Elk Falls suspension Bridge you walk over the wooden plank generator plant “penstock” pipes and suspension bridge to get to Elk Falls.  The wooden plank water pipes are 20′ or so in diameter and built like wood water tanks with planks bound with metal rings.  They where built 60 years ago and still in use.  Shows you how well this construction works, kind of like wood boats surviving for so many years.

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We then walked down river from the Falls along the river side trail to the 
John Hart Generation Station.

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You cross the river from the south side to the north at the bridge above the generation plant.  We followed the trail down the north side until we got to the logging road where you cross back over to the south side again on Detweiler Rd and back to the marina.

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