Cruisin Fever to Alaska: Bamfield

Bamfield Inlet

General Store - West Bamfield

West Bamfield

We left the Deer Group Islands in the afternoon and headed for the village of Bamfield on the southwest end of Barkley Sound. The public docks were full so we anchored in Bamfield Inlet. The unique village of Bamfield is situated on both sides of the Inlet with the west side accessible only by water craft. Adorable cottages, a general store, and fishing resorts line the west bank connected by a boardwalk. The east bank is similar but more commercial in nature. It includes the “Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre” owned by five Universities in British Columbia. We hiked up the hill and found the original structure that was once the eastern terminus of the Transpacific Cable that connected North America with Australia (4,000 miles of cable to an island in the Pacific). The first telegraphic message was sent in 1902 and the last message was sent in 1959. In 1963 a new coaxial telephone cable was laid to Port Alberni. The newest structure at the “Marine Sciences Centre” is a beautiful lecture and meeting hall with tall glass windows offering great views of the Inlet and an arched ceiling of exquisite wood work. We enjoyed seeing both of these buildings, open to the general public. We walked down the hill to our dinghy and explored Bamfield’s back bays that hold additional fishing resorts and summer homes. Bamfield is indeed a unique place to visit and has a special character all its own.