Historic sites dot this heartland of the Tsmishian, Kitsumkalum and Gitskan, where Emily Carr made many of her sketches. I first saw Prince Rupert from the deck of The Princess Louise, a CPR ship that plied the Inside Passage to Alaska, just 64 km upcoast. The harbor was alive with canneries, fishing fleets, coastal ferries, deep-sea ships, and a huge grain elevator. Today, you can take the world's second steepest gondola ride, enjoy an archeological boat tour, or board BC Ferries' Queen of the North for a 15-hour cruise to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. The Museum of Northern BC has totem pole carving on site, and 10,000 year old works of art.
Outdoor activity abounds in some of the wildest country on the continent.
Armadas of Gray, Humpback and Killer Whales skip along the surface. Seabirds abound, and near Cape St. James, sea lions romp and play. Isolation from the mainland has given rise to a unique subspecies of wildlife. Gwa'ii Haanas National Park Preserve is also called South Moresby. Since the park has no roads or facilities, visitors must be self sufficient.