Kelsey Bay and Hkusam Mountain

Logging is the primary industry in the area around Sayward and Kelsey Bay, but tourism continues to grow and gain in importance. Outdoor recreation includes caving, kayaking, hiking, whale watching, and wildlife viewing.

Population: 120

Location: The community of Kelsey Bay is located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, 1 mile (1.6 km) from the community of Sayward. Kelsey Bay is accessed by a 12-km paved road off the Island Highway. Travel time along the Island Highway 19 to Sayward and Kelsey Bay is under one hour from Campbell River in the south, and about 2 hours from Port Hardy to the north. Kelsey Bay can also be reached by boat via Johnstone Strait.

• Watch for a mysterious steamy ring round the peak of Hkusam Mountain - the Kwakwaka'wakw People called it Hiatsee Saklekum: "Where the breath of the sea lion gathers at the blow-hole".

• Fall and winter are good times to visit the Salmon River Wildlife Reserve to view winter waterfowl. Spring is also a delightful time due to the prolific nesting around the estuary. At one time this 52-hectare reserve on the Salmon River estuary sheltered and sustained the island's largest wintering population of Trumpeter Swans, which are still numerous here. The village maintains the path along the estuary to make your viewing experience even more special. Visitors are asked to be very careful not to disturb the wildlife at any time.

• The Cable Cookhouse in Sayward, wrapped in old skyline logging cable

  Visit the unique Cable Cookhouse, a steel-framed building wrapped with 8,200 feet (2,700 metres) of wire cable weighing 26 tons, located on the east side of the one-lane bridge on Sayward Road that crosses the Salmon River. The Cable Cookhouse provides excellent food and welcomes all travellers. And, don't miss the The Logger's Totem, built in 1986 by Glen Duncan to honour the logger.

• There's romantic picnicking just south of the Adam River Bridge on Hwy 19, west of Kelsey Bay and 10 km north of the turnoff to Sayward. As you feast, enjoy the view of Mounts Romeo and Juliet, the snowmelt from which fills Adam and Eve Lakes, from which two rivers of the same names flow east into Johnstone Strait. Equally impressive is the sight of Jagged Mountain and Mount Cain, which dominate the skyline north of here.

• Kelsey Bay harbour is the only small craft harbour located between Campbell River and Port McNeill on Johnstone Straits. It offers a loading ramp, a derrick, a wave-reduction system, and the availability of marine gas. A boat launch ramp is located at the end of the old BC Ferries' parking lot.

• The Salmon River is one of the better known destinations for steelhead fishing on Vancouver Island, before it empties into Johnstone Strait at Kelsey Bay. Drive east of Hwy 19 towards Sayward and Kelsey Bay. En route, Sayward Road crosses the Salmon River at several points, offering access. Angling information is available where fishing licenses are sold; White River Court, Salmon River Motel and Fisherboy Park.

• Spend the day skiing and snowboarding in unbelievable powder at Mount Cain Park (5,400 ft), located southwest Sayward, 25 minutes west off the Sayward Junction along Hwy 19. It's a 16-km drive on a gravel road from the highway to the day lodge (3,900 ft), with chains mandatory on the last 10 km. Mount Cain offers a unique experience for skiers, snowboarders and backcountry explorers, with virtually no line-ups for lifts, and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. The community-run Mt. Cain is located in a regional park, and is ideal for families and snow enthusiasts of all skill levels. The Mt. Caine resort usually opens from November to April.

• Mount Cain also offers wonderful alpine hiking in a sea of bright flowers. Hiking trails also abound in the immediate vicinity of Sayward, including the White River Forest, a beautiful protected park with easy walking trails.

• The trailhead for the Dalrymple Creek Trail is located 8 km south of the Sayward Junction on Highway 19, where Dalrymple Creek crosses the highway. The self-guided forest interpretation trail leads you on a 500-metre peaceful walk through a changing forest.

• Visitors driving the scenic route from Sayward to Port McNeill are very likely to encounter at least one large mammal alongside the road or ambling into the forest. Black-tailed deer, Roosevelt elk and black bear are common year-round. Cougar and gray wolf are also present, but are less frequently spotted.

• The Salmon River is a popular river for exhilarating river rafting in the Sayward community, and the lakes and rivers offer a range of canoeing and kayaking routes.

• The Sayward Forest Canoe Route covers almost 30 miles (50 km) of lakes east of Sayward. Allow three to four days to complete the circuit, which begins on Campbell Lake. Wisdom has it that the best approach to the route is to journey in a counterclockwise direction, putting in at the boat launch on Mohun Lake in Morton Lake Provincial Park. The well-marked route continues through 10 lakes before returning to the park. Road access to most of the lakes within the canoe route means that paddlers can pick and choose from a variety of put-in and take-out points.

• North of Sayward, you'll find good paddling on the Klaklakama Lakes. Travel 4 miles (7 km) south of Hwy 19 along a rough logging road that initially leads towards Schoen Lake Provincial Park. The best place to launch is from the Forest Service recreation site on Upper Klaklakama Lake (5 vehicle/tent sites). You'll also find a small Forest Service recreation campground at the south end of Upper Klaklakama Lake, as well as a good picnic spot on Lower Klaklakama Lake near Hwy 19, when you're in need of a break from driving.

• The nearest large provincial park to Sayward is Schoen Lake Provincial Park, considered by some to be the most beautiful camping area and lake on Vancouver Island, offering wilderness hiking, canoeing, fishing and spectacular mountain scenery.

• With no public campground located beside Hwy 19 from Campbell River north to Cape Scott, travellers must go farther afield to seek out a provincial or regional park or Forest Service recreation site if they want an alternative to a private campground. Pockets of Forest Service sites occur around McCreight Lake as well as nearby Pye and Stella Lakes, all located east of Sayward and north of Hwy 19. To reach McCreighton Lake, take Rock Bay Road east of Hwy 19, about 23 miles (37 km) north of Campbell River. Both Pye and Stella Lakes are located short distances south of Rock Bay Road, and their respective turnoffs are well marked.

• A public campsite is located at K'husam Park, offering camping and a washroom, but no electrical hookups. Information is available at the Village Office. Three private campsites are also available.

• Golf: Golfers will have to head south on the Island highway to Campbell River for a game at one of the two courses: Storey Creek Golf Club and the Sequoia Springs Golf Club. Golf Vacations on Vancouver Island.

• Robson Bight Provincial Park, west of Sayward in Johnstone Strait, provides ocean adventurers with a sure thing when it comes to whale watching. In this case it's actually killer whale watching. Pods of orcas come to this part of Johnstone Strait each summer to rub on the barnacle-encrusted rocks at Robson Bight. As the top predator on the inland-water food chain, they are also attracted by the annual salmon runs that funnel through the strait beginning in late June. One of the best ways to approach killer whales is quietly aboard a boat or kayak. Whale watching and wildlife viewing tours are available out of Sayward.

• Travel from Kelsey Bay to Zeballos - here is a community whose roads were once truly paved with gold! In fact, the owners of the nearby gold mine actually scraped the surface of the road at one time so the tailings could be run through new equipment and residual gold removed.