Campbell-River Travel Guide
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Campbell River: 45km (28 miles) N of Courtenay, 266km (165 miles) N of Victoria
Busy and utilitarian, Campbell River (pop. 33,000) gives the impression of a town that works for a living. For years, it has been known as the "Salmon-Fishing Capital of the World," but it is also home to a large pulp and paper mill. Between Quadra Island and Campbell River, the broad Strait of Georgia squeezes down to a narrow 1.6m-wide (1-mile) channel called Discovery Passage. All of the salmon that enter the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Victoria to spawn in northerly rivers funnel down into this tight constriction, a churning waterway with 4m (13-ft.) tides. Historically, vast hauls of incredibly large fish have been pulled from these waters; fishing lodges have lined these shores for decades. However, salmon numbers at Campbell River have fallen drastically in recent years, and the days of pulling 60-pound Chinooks from the turbulent waters are largely over. Today, you're as likely to take a wildlife-viewing trip on the sound as go fishing for salmon -- and if you do fish, there are plenty of restrictions on what you can keep and strong encouragements to practice catch-and-release.
Salmon or no salmon, there are plenty of other attractions in and around Campbell River. Two excellent museums with world-class collections of Native artifacts head the list, and hiking on Quadra Island and in Strathcona Provincial Park appeals to outdoorsy types.
