We are open every day between June 1 and Sept 30. If you would like to stay with us outside of this time period, you must reserve ahead of time. It is recommended to make your reservations well in advance of the dates that you would like.
Having lived in the Broughton Archipelago for over 45 years we would say that it is always beautiful here. Most people like to visit June – September, when it is warm and they have a better chance to see whales.
April and May is also a nice time to visit. During these months, the Broughton is very quiet, virtually unoccupied by tourists, and the weather is starting to warm up, as spring awakens the vibrancy of both plant and animal life.
October- March is our winter time, with south-east storms dominating. It is advisable to have a flexible schedule, as transportation between the lodge and Vancouver Island can easily be delayed, waiting for a break in the weather, and calm seas to cross. This is the time to test your rain gears effectiveness, and enjoy spending time spent beside the crackling wood-fire, and see first-hand why this is area is called temperate rain forest. Regardless of which season you choose to visit in you will be able to explore the area by kayak and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Since this area is wilderness, wildlife viewing is possible in any month, however nature is most abundant in the summer months. During this time you have a good chance to see Orca, Humpback, and Minke whales, dolphins, and porpoise, as well as Stellar sea lions, river and sea otters, seals, and mink. It is also possible to see black bears, deer, and raccoons feeding at the waters edge. Grizzly bears, wolves and cougars are also present but rarely sighted. Eagles are abundant, as are Blue herons, rhinoceros auklets, marbled murrelets, cormorants, and a variety of other sea- birds. The forest is also alive with kingfisher, thrush's, owls, robins, ravens, and crows. Beneath the ocean surface are many fish. Exploring the shoreline at low tide one can find a wide variety of sea creatures.
We provide boat transportation for our guests, pick-up's are in Port McNeill @ 1:30 and departures from the lodge are at 9:00 am. Please see our website transportation page for our trip dates calendar. Our boat can carry up to 12 passengers and 8 kayaks. It is also possible to fly by float-plane to our location from Port Hardy. Please refer to our Planning Your Trip page, located under the heading "About".
Yes, we have specially designed, and cushioned carrying racks on our charter boat, and can easily carry up to 8 kayaks. A total of 4 doubles may be carried, but to do this we have to block the view out the side windows which is not recommended.
Yes, we rent single and double kayaks. We have an assortment of Necky & Wilderness Systems poly touring kayaks available, with all the standard accessories. An introductory lesson is required for folks who are new to kayaking, and a brief written description of your kayaking experience including wet exit re-entry experience is required for those who rent our kayaks.
Yes. There are no age restrictions at Paddlers Inn. We welcome people of all ages, and have had guests ranging in age from 1- 83!
Yes we have had many newlyweds visit. We recommend our Float house Cabin, often referred to as "The Love Shack", for romantic couples, as it is very cute, very private, and has an en suite wood-fired sauna (fire restrictions apply if the weather is extremely hot and dry), and hot water that never runs out.
We are able to facilitate small wedding occasions. We can accommodate about 20 people.
Our cabin rentals include linens, but the main Float house Lodge does not, although the mattresses and pillows do have covers. The reason for this is that we try to minimize the amount of laundry that we need to clean, as to do so requires a lot of electrical and person-power. We create most of our power through solar panels, but in order to do piles of laundry there is an impact on the environment. We have a one-time charge of $50 per bed for linens. Many guests are happy to use their sleeping bags, or bring their own linens.
Yes we are able to recharge your battery packs, at our "Charging Station" located outside our office door.
We do have telephone and internet service at the lodge, but this is not available for guests to use, except to receive any “emergency communications” during their stay. Most cell phones can get a weak signal here. Enough for calls, and text's etc.
We do not allow pets here, in consideration of other guests, and in effort to maintain our very high standard of cleanliness throughout all of our rental accommodations.
The majority of people come to paddle, but some people do not, and are happy to enjoy the tranquility of spending their time ashore, relaxing, reading, watching their grandchildren playing, and taking short walks on our forest trails, to adjacent beaches, or perhaps hike up to the lake for a swim. We also offer massage and fishing off the dock, or on the water taxi with a guide. Prior booking is required.
Please refer to our Places to Explore section for information on the many paddling routes available here. There are many.
This area of the Broughton is comparatively safe for beginners, and also offers opportunities for advanced paddlers to challenge themselves. Protected from open ocean swells, the seas here are fairly calm, unless a strong wind stirs them up, and even then paddlers can choose more protected routes. We offer lessons and guiding for those who are new to paddling.
Children are happy to paddle around the bay where we are located, and as well explore adjacent coves. There are several shorter day paddles available, as well as forest trails and shoreline to explore. Many hours of fun can be found swimming or fishing off our dock.
We do not supply fishing gear. Fishing licenses are available on-line. We recommend that fishing enthusiasts equip themselves prior to arriving. We have an "eat what you catch policy", and we do not allow canning or freezing of fish for you to take back home.
We have several forest trails, enabling people to explore the area surrounding the lodge. Trails lead to adjacent beaches and look-outs, as well as a small stream and inland lake where there is a small swimming dock and a whole lake to yourself! The west coast of B.C. is temperate rain forest, with dense forest cover making off-trail hiking and navigation somewhat difficult. There are miles of seldom used logging roads accessible from near-by Scott Cove and Shoal Harbour. We recommend that trail walkers bring and carry bear spray.
Billy has a wide variety of logging and fishing gear from folks that pioneered here. He also has an amazing collection of First Nations' stone tools dating back many thousands of years. Billy himself is a cultural highlight, having information and character almost forgotten in the modern world.
Yes. All of our accommodations have very well equipped kitchens, and cookware, dishes etc., none of which are aluminum, or of inferior quality. Stoves and fridges are propane. Freezer space is available. All buildings have hot & cold running water on demand.
You will need to bring all of your food in with you. Port McNeill has a good grocery store (IGA) that offers quite a few organic items as well as all the regular items that you would expect. Groceries are not a problem to bring in on our water taxi, at no additional charge. Coolers and boxes are better than plastic bags for transporting your items. If you fly in, you will pay for the extra weight by the pound. If you are staying for more than a week, it may be possible to have us do some restocking/shopping for you, on one of our trips to Port McNeill.
We no longer offer catered meals as it has become too much effort and time with only the two of us doing everything involved in running our operation. The original design for the lodge and cabins was to include well provisioned quality cookwares and kitchens in each cabin, allowing folks to prepare their own meals, and to keep the cost of coming here as low, and inclusive as possible. If you decide on a catered holiday with another provider, you will likely pay double or more per person/ day, than what you will spend to stay with us, as well as have more freedom to do whatever you want, whenever it pleases you, rather than following the "pack".
