The Bella Coola valley abounds with natural spectacles. Towering peaks with lofty ice caps, tumbling waterfalls, a river estuary top ranked for its socio-ecological value. Nowhere else on the coast do you have a road leading right to a wild life area as yet wholly unprotected and therefore wholly accessible.

The library of B&B Nusatsm House is at your disposition and you will find much pertinent material.
 
The valleys first inhabitants came shortly after the ice had retreated. And it seems from the archeological record that the people who first came stayed, stayed to this day. Visit Acwsalcta School in a location called 4 Mile, just east of Bella Coola.
 
The Bella Coola river estuary is on the Pacific flyway and attracts over 100 species during their migration or to live in the estuary all year round. Some of it is easily accessible on foot. More fascinating yet perhaps the views gained by canoeing the various river arms and making it to the site where the harbour used to be about 100 years ago. Year round you will find there dozens of eagles, in the winter though well in excess of a hundred.

High above Thorsen Creek there lies a place of magic, the petroglyphs.  On exposed rock along which a small trickle of clear water runs, you find many stone engraved faces and figures. These accummulated over many hundreds of years. It is difficult to date them but a range of 200 to 2000 years ago is easily possible.

Plan to stay on the site for a couple hours and immerse yourself in the quiet with only the rushing river deep below and the occasional bird to hear in the serenity. While the sun wanders the shadows cast by the bas-relief art become alive. You suddenly will see other figures and faces previously not seen. It is a place of magic and reflects the spiritual life of the people native to this valley long before acculturation.

Approaching Thorsen Creek and to the south of Highway 20 you find Acwsalcta School of the Nuxalk First Nation. It has paintings and carvings by Alvin Mack. Inside Acwsalcta you find cultural exhibits and photographs relating to Nuxalk history..
 
There are two museums you can visit, one in Bella Coola illustrating the local history, the other in Hagensborg, dedicated to the Norwegian immigrants of the late 1800-s.

The petroglyph site above Thorsen Creek

With sadness we inform you that the Nuxalc Native guide and Goodwill Ambassador Darren Edgaar, ‘Ayamaas’ his Native name, has died on March 31, 2002.  He was an ambassador  to the Bella Coola Valley in deed. He will be long remembered!

Explore the trails on Walker Island with its giant old growtrh cedars and a “tree burial” (there is a false one, cut with chain saw, walk on to the prehistoric one).

Read On the water

Read On firm ground

www.bellacoolahost.com -  the web site of B&B Nusatsum House

All pictures © Reinhard Maag - Site design Reinhard Maag, April 2001 - March 2004