BY MOTOR VEHICLE

While there are no roads to Quatsino Hamlet itself, a paved road does bring the visitor to within a 15 to 20 minute boat ride from Coal Harbor, which is about a 20 minute drive from Port Hardy, BC, the largest community on Northern Vancouver Island. There is a water taxi service, Quatsino Sound Marine Transportation. Call ahead for reservations at 250 949-6358. Overnight parking is available at the Coal Harbor dock area.

There are also regularly scheduled water taxi "mail runs" on Mondays and Thursdays around 11:30am featuring significantly discounted fairs. The water taxi will drop the visitor off at the Quatsino community dock or any private dock requested. Quatsino Sound Marine Transportation also provides this service but you must call ahead to confirm their schedule at the phone number above.  Always call as far in advance as you can to insure the taxi is available. The Quatsino gravel road is approximately 6 km in length so almost any destination is within walking distance.
 

To reach Coal Harbor from all points south (Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Seattle, etc) take the main Island Highway from Nanaimo (approximately a 4 to 4.5 hour drive) or Victoria (approximately a 6 to 7 hour drive) following signs for Port Hardy.

If you have time, the older coastal Island Highway (Highway19A) is a beautiful drive that winds along the east coast of the Island between Nanaimo and Campbell River. Just before reaching Port Hardy you will see a direction sign to turn left for Coal Harbor.