Alert Bay Boat Harbour

Alert Bay may small but there’s always something on the go. Exciting annual events include June Sports on Father’s Day weekend in June. T’sasala Cultural Group Dance Performance in ‘Namgis Traditional Big House Saturdays July to 3rd weekend in August, please check ahead of time to confirm day. U’mista Summer Programs: Cedar Bark Weaving, Kwakwala, Art work, Kwakwala July to August. Cultural Experiences: Cedar Bark Weaving, Nusa Story Telling Saturday, July to 3rd weekend in August, need to be booked ahead of time. Alert Bay 360, Kayak Race, on the August BC Day weekend. Plaese note that some aspects of COVID protocal are still being followed.Alert Bay is on Cormorant Island which is 4.9 km long, and 0.8 km wide at its narrowest point. The ‘Namgis First Nation has the largest population on the island followed by the Village of Alert Bay and the remainder of the island’s population the Whe-la-la-u Area Council, which represents four of our Kwakwaka’wakw Tribes and two small sections the Regional District of Mount Waddington.There are two elementary schools, the Alert Bay School (SD85) and the T’lisalagi’lakw School (Independent). Grade 8-12 students take a foot ferry across to North Island Secondary School (SD85) in Port McNeill. We also have the Cormorant Island Learning Centre, branch of North Island College and visiting instructors, a joint Education Department between the Village of Alert Bay and the ‘Namgis First Nation under the Alert Bay Accord. Some Residents take the ferry across to Vancouver Island for work, while many work for the ‘Namgis First Nation, BC Ferries, and local businesses. Our little island is compact and you can easily walk or bike your way around. However, it is hilly. Unless you’re a determined walker, we recommend that you bring your vehicle with you on the 40-minute ferry from Port McNeill. As you can see on our Ferry Schedule page, there are six sailings a day, about every 2.5 hours.There are several ways to get to Alert Bay: BC Ferries, 2900 foot airstrip, as well as a full service Boat Harbour where you can tie up, shower and spend the night. The closest airport with regularly scheduled flights is Port Hardy, 25 minutes north of Port McNeill. Check our Current Conditions page for airstrip cameras, tide tables and the weather forecast.The first stop for many visitors is the Visitor Centre, a couple hundred metres to the right (southeast) when you disembark the ferry. Our friendly Visitor Centre staff can help plan your day and can offer the most recent tourism information and brochures. The Visitor Centre 118 Fir Street and the Alert Bay Library-Museum 116 Fir Street. Library-Museum has photos and artifacts from the region’s pioneer years. What most Visitor’s come to Alert Bay for is the U’mista Cultural Centre which houses our Native Masks and Artifacts. The Visitor Centre is close to the Original ‘Namgis burial grounds, where Totem Poles in Memory of those who have passed away. Another Totem Pole you’ll want to take in is the World’s Tallest Totem Pole, north along Fir Street/Front Street, and up the hill next to the ‘Namgis Traditional Big House.