Gold River (British Columbia)

Gold River is in Central Vancouver Island, close to its geographic centre. The village has a picturesque setting, and has developed tourism and sport fishing as its main economic supports, as a base for such activities as the Nootka Island trek, hiking the Elk Lake trail, climbing Golden Hinde mountain (Vancouver Island's highest peak), Crest Creek climbing crags, and the Great Walk.

Understand
Gold River developed in 1967 as a prototypical logging and pulp and paper industry community, and quickly sprang into prosperity and established excellent community facilities. Shifting world markets brought the mill closure in 1998, forcing many of Gold River's inhabitants to relocate.

Gold River also serves as a historic point, being the closest village to the famous Friendly Cove, where British explorer Captain James Cook first set ashore.

In 2001, a two-year-old male orca, later named Luna, was seen in Nootka Sound alone as far inland as the marina at Gold River. Presumed to be an orphan separated from his pod, Luna became a local and international celebrity by his playful and curious behavior with lumber tugboats and recreational watercraft on Nootka Sound, and with people, including young children, on the Gold River dock. The popularity of Luna made Gold River an international attraction from early 2002 through March 2006, when Luna was killed in an accidental collision with a tugboat propeller.

The city limits of Gold River include the inland town centre area and a port area, 13 km southwest of the town centre, at the eastern end of the, which is inlet is roughly 55 km long and up to 380 m deep, and serves as a staging area for log exports, fishing, a ferry, and seasonal tourism and sporting activities.



By road
Gold River is the western terminus of Highway 28.

By car
Most visitors arrive by car as there is no public transit.

Connect
While the inland town centre area of Gold River has cellular coverage, no other areas have cellular coverage. There is no cellular coverage on Highway 28 between Gold River and Campbell River.

Go next

 * Yuquot is easily accessible from here. See "By Boat" above.