Kitimat is located at the mouth of the Kitimat River, where the glacier-fed waterway meets the 90-kilometre-long Douglas Channel. The area offers some of the best undiscovered fresh and saltwater adventures for all kinds of paddlers. Minette Bay is the perfect spot for an afternoon of mellow paddleboarding. Sea kayakers can explore further into the channel, and those who are into kayak fishing will love angling on the Kitimat River. Kitimat is an undiscovered paddling destination where paddlers can take in the remote north-coast destination with little to no crowds on the water. This article will walk you through a few of the ways that you can explore this paddling paradise.
Multi-day Trip to Weewanie Hot Springs Park
Weewanie Hot Springs Park is a boat-access-only backcountry campsite with an 8 ft by 15 ft cement bath house, pit toilets, and picnic area located in a sheltered bay within the remote shoreline of the Douglas Channel. Water flows from the spring just above the bathhouse at a rate of 11.8 litres per minute, filling the bathhouse with water that sits at about 38 degrees Celsius. This park can be accessed by kayakers who are prepared for four days of self-supported paddling.
To get to Weewanie Hot Springs, paddlers should first set out from Kitimat and paddle approximately 25 km south of Kitimat to Eagle Bay Park, located on the east side of the Douglas Channel. Eagle Bay Park is a provincial park that allows backcountry camping but has no facilities, so paddlers should be self-sufficient and aware of the Leave No Trace principles. On the way to Eagle Bay Park, it is recommended to check out Coste Rocks Park, a group of three small, rocky islets and a nearby reef off the south end of Coste Island, where harbour seals are known to gather in numbers. Upon arriving at Eagle Bay, paddlers will find culturally modified trees from the Haisla First Nation, whose territory the park is located within, and the remains of a 70-year-old Grumman Widgeon plane wreck at the bay’s south end.
After spending a night at Eagle Bay, there will be another roughly 20km to paddle before you arrive at Weewanie Hot Springs Park. After spending a day or two soaking and taking in the pristine coastal environment, it’s recommended to paddle back to Eagle Bay, where you will stay for another night, and then Kitimat the following day. Paddlers who wish to embark on this adventure should have an appropriate level of ocean kayaking and backcountry camping experience. There are a limited number of take-out spots along the steep shorelines of the Douglas Channel, so be sure to plan appropriately with the weather and tides. Well-prepared paddlers will be greeted by awe-inspiring views, beautiful creeks, waterfalls and interesting rock formations along the way.
Kayak Fishing on the Kitimat River
The Kitimat River Meanders down from glaciers high up in the surrounding coastal mountains until it meets its estuary in the Douglas Channel. This waterway is home to some of the best fishing in the world, with different species running throughout the year. During March and April, cast your line for a chance to catch steelheads that range from 8 to 12 pounds on average. Come May, the Chinook Salmon begin to run. These lunkers are known to hit the 40-pound mark and put up a good fight through into early July. Chum can be found in the waterway through July and August, and finally, through August and September, Coho salmon enter the waterway.
Radley Park Campground is located on the Kitimat River and is owned and operated by the District of Kitimat from May to October. This is a great place to launch your kayak for a day of fishing the river. It is important to note that as the temperatures warm in the late spring and the high-elevation snowpack and glaciers begin to melt, the flow in the river increases, making paddling the waterway more challenging. For the well-prepared paddler, the access to off-the-beaten-path fishing holes that a kayak affords will be well worth the effort. And even if you don’t catch a fish, visitors to Radley Park will at least see the oldest and largest known Sitka spruce in BC at 500 years old, 50 metres tall, and over 11 metres in circumference!
Stand up Paddle Boarding in Minette Bay
On a calm, windless day, Minette Bay is the perfect place to launch your stand up paddle board for a day on the water. This is Kitimat’s only waterfront nature park and is the easiest place to access Douglas Channel from the town. Make sure to be well aware of the weather forecast and plan your paddle accordingly, as getting caught in an unexpected change of weather could have high consequences. On a day with low winds forecasted, experienced paddlers with a knack for birding should paddle from Minette Bay Park to the Kitimat River Estuary, where more than 112 species of birds have been recorded, including Snow Geese, Cinnamon Teals, Canvasbacks, Lesser Golden Plovers, and Whimbrels.
Paddling on Lakelse Lake
Lakelse Lake is part of a park situated 40km north of Kitimat within the Kitimat Mountain Range. Visitors will find old-growth cedar, hemlock, and Sitka spruce forests, as well as a wetland within a warm spring that drains into the lake. From the water, paddlers will have the chance to view an abundance of wildlife, including eagles, osprey, moose, wolves, cougars, and the Kermodei bear, also known as the spirit bear, which is a rare type of black bear with a genetic mutation making its fur white. While spotting wildlife requires some luck, paddlers are guaranteed to get views of the snow-tipped peaks of the Kitmat Mountains and the majestic old-growth forests. This lake is suitable for stand up paddle boarding, canoeing, and kayaking. The lake and its connected waterways also happen to be home to all five species of Pacific salmon (chinook, chum, coho, sockeye, pink) as well as dolly varden, rainbow trout, whitefish and bull trout. In other words, this is also a great place to go kayak fishing! The Lakelse park has over 150 campsites, making it a perfect place to stay for the weekend.
Kitimat is an undiscovered paddling paradise, and once you visit, you will want to keep it that way so you can have it all to yourself. The pristine wilderness and lack of crowds make this the perfect destination to experience the best of Coastal BC from the water. For more information on planning your trip, visit https://kitimatbound.ca/
