Ferries from Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert is the northern end of the Inside Passage and the only BC Ferries terminal that connects to the rest of the world by rail. From here the voyage south is 274 nautical miles and most of a day.

The crossing

Prince Rupert to Port Hardy (Bear Cove) takes about 17 hours 30 minutes in our timetable, on the Inside Passage route. Operated by BC Ferries with the Northern Expedition — about 600 passengers and 130 vehicles.

2 active sailings at this terminal. That is the whole scheduled service south.

⚠ This is a voyage, not a crossing

Sixteen to seventeen hours through the fjords with cabins available, a cafeteria and daylight sailings in summer. It is priced and booked as a journey, and treating it as a ferry hop leads to unpleasant surprises about cost and duration.

Outside summer the sailing calls at Bella Bella and Klemtu; in summer it runs direct while a separate Discovery Coast service handles the mid-coast.

What else connects here

Prince Rupert is the western terminus of the Canadian National line from Jasper, and it has ferry links to Haida Gwaii — Skidegate on Graham Island — as well as connections toward Alaska. It is a genuine transport junction rather than a road end.

That makes the Inside Passage practical as one leg of a circle: rail in, ferry south, drive down Vancouver Island.

The town

Built as a railway terminus on Kaien Island, in Ts'msyen territory, with one of the deepest natural harbours on the Pacific coast. The Museum of Northern British Columbia holds a significant Northwest Coast collection.

It rains a great deal — this is among the wettest cities in Canada.

Booking

Reserve well ahead, particularly with a vehicle or for a cabin. With two sailings in our timetable, availability is the binding constraint rather than price.