Bute Inlet is a 35 mile long fjord leading northeast into the British Columbia mainland many miles north of the highway’s end. We’ve never explored it. No one we’ve asked ever has. Time to take a look.
At the inlet head, Mt. Waddington towers over all at 13,186 feet. The temperature on the water can be cold thanks to winds whistling down from the glaciers. For this, and other reasons like active logging operations, we decided to only travel halfway up the fjord. Our goal was Orford Bay, a native village with a reputation for grizzly bear sightings.
If we liked what we found, we planned to anchor at “The Nook”, a small niche described in one of our boating guidebooks.
Anchoring in the Canadian fjords is difficult. The mountains run steeply into the water and reach depths of over 2000 feet. Fifty feet from the shore, the water can be 300 feet deep.
As we left Big Bay, heading for the Arran Rapids, we passed someone’s Xanadu. Lots going on architecturally here. Leaving Arran Rapids, which can run over 14 knots at flood, we headed up Bute Inlet. No, we were not in 12.4 feet of water. At depths over 2000 feet, Étude’s sonar can lose its lock on the bottom. Three hours later, this is what we came to see: the First Nations “village” at Orford Bay. Kind of a letdown.Also, no bears. Pretty, though.This is “The Nook”: narrow, deep, and not looking at all like a place we wanted to spend the night.Take a close look at the steepness of the clear cut hillside. Felling trees on that slope would be a hard way to make a living. We passed this research vessel towing a weather buoy. Relocating to a new station? Going for repairs?Did you notice the color of the water in these photos? Mt. Waddington rock, pulverized by glacial action, turns the inlet milky white/blue.We returned to Big Bay after our Bute Inlet tour, and decided to head north to nearby Denham Bay.This small, tidy resort offers both docks and cabins.Owner’s quarters up top, caretakers below.Dan and Jessica, caretakers, welcomed us at the dock.
You maybe be wondering why I started with a Yogi Berra quote. It’s because I have a corollary for Bute Inlet.
”Nobody goes there anymore. There’s nothing there.”
I Loved Yogi. Who didn’t?