Population: 13,392

Prince Rupert is located on Kaien Island on the west coat of Bristish Columbia, 448 miles west of Prince George via Yellowhead Highway 16, 90 miles by water from Ketchikan, AK. 

Visitor Information: Tourism Prince Rupert.

Prince Rupert, “Gateway to Alaska,” was surveyed by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (later Canadian National Railways) in the early 1900s. Incorporated as a city in 1910, Prince Rupert attracted settlers responding to the enthusiasm of Charles M. Hays, president of the railroad company, who dreamt of a population of 50,000 and world markets supplied by his railroad. (Both the city and the railway suffered a great loss when Charles M. Hays went down with the Titanic in April 1912.) The first train arrived at Prince Rupert in 1914, linking the western port with the rest of Canada.

Prince Rupert is the second major deep-sea port on Canada’s west coast, exporting grain, pulp, lumber and other resources to Europe and Asia. With the start of the Alaska State Ferry System in 1963, and the British Columbia Ferry System in 1966, Prince Rupert’s became important visitor centre and terminal point for highway, rail and marine transportation.

Prince Rupert offers complete visitor facilities, with lodging at motels/hotels and bed-and-breakfasts; dining at local restaurants; gas stations; supermarkets and shopping centres; a government liquor store, banks, laundromats and and services. Camping in town at Prince Rupert RV Campground, and east of the city at Kinnikinnick Campground and RV Park and Prudhomme Lake Provincial Park.