After the 2025 fire, Telegraph Cove’s wildlife tours and coastal adventures are welcoming visitors back
Set against the wild coastline of northern Vancouver Island, Prince of Whales’ Telegraph Cove operation offers something unique: wildlife encounters that often begin just moments into the adventure.
Located in the tiny boardwalk community of Telegraph Cove, the seasonal operation combines whale watching and kayaking excursions in one of the most biologically rich marine corridors on the coast. Humpback whales feed in the narrow passages, sea lions crowd rocky outcrops and both transient and northern resident orcas move through these bountiful waters, which are shaped by strong tidal flows and salmon-rich rivers.
“It’s completely different,” a Prince of Whales spokesperson says. “You start your whale-watching tour, and the wildlife is just right there. In every corner you look, there is something else.”
The company operates both its whale-watching tours and North Island Kayak from Telegraph Cove, with kayak excursions ranging from two-hour paddles to eight-day wilderness trips through the nearby archipelagos and inlets.
Located two hours north of Campbell River, Telegraph Cove is rich in heritage, with weathered boardwalks, floating accommodations and historic wooden buildings. The entire boardwalk area was threatened in January 2025, when a fire tore through much of the waterfront.
But today, visitors will find a community very much rebuilding.
“The boardwalk has completely been rebuilt, and it looks great. It looks exactly like it used to be,” the spokesperson says.
The fire destroyed several landmark buildings, including the Whale Interpretive Centre, which lost many of its irreplaceable marine specimens and artifacts. Reconstruction is already underway, however, and the community response to fundraising has been significant. Prince of Whales also lost its office and equipment in the blaze.
“We unfortunately lost a lot of gear that we used to operate with,” the spokesperson says. “But at the end of the day, for new guests, it’s all fresh gear, all new paddles, all new life vests. So, everything’s brand new.”
Far from discouraging visitors, the rebuilding effort appears to have sparked renewed interest in the area.
“There is a lot of activity in Telegraph Cove,” the spokesperson says. “I think people are curious to go and check out the rebuilding process and support the community.”
That support matters because tourism is central to the local economy.
“Telegraph Cove needs tourism. The fire was horrible, and now we’re past that, and the construction is almost done.”
For travellers seeking wildlife encounters, the timing couldn’t be better. Northern Vancouver Island has long been regarded as one of the province’s premier whale-watching regions because of the sheer concentration of marine life moving through the channels between the island and the mainland.
“All of the nutrients and essentially food for humpback whales concentrates in that area,” the spokesperson explains.
The region is particularly known for northern resident orcas, a fish-eating orca population that differs from the mammal-hunting transient orcas more commonly seen farther south. Visitors also regularly spot humpbacks, dolphins, porpoises, bald eagles and bears along the shoreline.
“People come all over the world to see northern resident killer whales,” the spokesperson says.
Unlike the endangered southern resident population found in the Salish Sea, northern residents are currently doing comparatively well. Strict marine protections in portions of the region help preserve habitat and limit vessel traffic in key ecological areas.
For travellers wanting a slower pace, the kayaking side of the operation (North Island Kayak) offers a different way to experience the coast.
Multi-day tours venture from Telegraph Cove into the Broughton Archipelago, where guests paddle between islands and camp at remote waterfront sites. Meals are prepared by guides, and group sizes are intentionally small. Even public tours cap out at about a dozen guests.
“You’re just there, lost in the wilderness with orcas and humpback whales,” the spokesperson says. “It’s such a magical experience.”
The experience has drawn everyone from families to corporate retreat groups looking to disconnect from urban life.
“Lunch and dinner are cooked fresh at the (private) campsites or on beaches,” the spokesperson says.
For many visitors, Telegraph Cove itself becomes part of the adventure. The drive north winds through remote stretches of dense rainforest and past small oceanside communities. Yet despite its wilderness location, the area remains accessible, with flights connecting lower Vancouver Island and mainland hubs to northern communities, including Port Hardy and Campbell River.
This summer, visitors arriving at the rebuilt boardwalk will find whale-watching boats heading out into Johnstone Strait, kayakers loading gear onto the docks and marine wildlife moving through the channels beyond the cove. The fire may have changed the landscape, but not the experience.
