My brother just returned from a trip to Canada. He was there on business and stayed in busy Toronto. I thought about him as I was researching this next small town. (I’ve been writing a series of blogs about small towns that are largely appealing to visitors.) Last year a popular travel guide voted Telegraph Cove as one of the 10 best towns in Canada.
The tiny sawmill and cannery community has a population of 20. That’s right; I didn’t miss a zero. There are fewer than two-dozen residents that call Telegraph Cove home. The town is located on the eastern coast of Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 30 minutes south of Port McNeill.
Back in the early 1900s, Telegraph Cove was a one-room station, marking the northernmost portion of a telegraph line that began in Campbell River and stretched from tree to tree along Vancouver Island’s east coast. These days, the tiny town is a major tourist destination during the summer months. Beginning in late May, boaters, anglers, campers, kayakers and whale-watchers descend upon the bay. Visitors stay in one of a few dozen cozy cabins or pitch their own tents in the surrounding forests and RV campgrounds.
While the area offers a picturesque (did I mention the town is built on stilts and buildings are linked by a wooden boardwalk) and tranquil setting, most people who venture to Telegraph Cove don’t stay on land for too long (though there is a beautiful golf course and a number of impressive hiking trails). Most visitors are there to participate in offshore exploring because the Cove opens to the some of the most incredible marine wildlife habitats in the world.
Telegraph Cove is known as one of the premier places to watch whales in their natural habitats. The town is home to a killer whale sanctuary where up to 200 Orcas arrive each summer to feed off of the annual salmon runs that funnel through Johnstone Strait.
But, whales aren’t the only wildlife you’ll find in the waters around Telegraph Cove. Dolphins and seals also call the open waters around the Cove home as well. One of the best ways to view the abundant sea life is on board a charter boat. The vessels take riders along the shoreline and out to sea where whales meander right up to the boat and give spectators priceless views few can say they have ever experienced.
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