Billed as the place where "Canada's wilderness begins", nature indeed encroaches on Prince Rupert from every angle.

And when the mist actually lifts on this remote northern British Columbian city, it reveals a quirky port town with a dramatic fjord-like coastline ringed by rainforest-saturated mountains.

Situated on Kaien Island at the mouth of the Skeena River, Prince Rupert is the gateway to the magnificent Skeena Valley which stretches for 150km to the east.

You'd want at least two days to even scratch the surface of Prince Rupert's attractions. From here you could:

• Visit ancient First Nations petroglyphs on Pike Island
• Take a flightseeing or boat tour to the phenomenal Khuzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, a coastal valley 45km north of town that is literally crawling with grizzlies
• Hike through old-growth rainforest to reversing tidal rapids
• Tour an abandoned salmon cannery
• Learn about the rich history and culture of northen British Columbia's First Nations people at the Museum of Northern British Columbia and see artists at work in the adjacent carving shed.
• Catch a sea plane or ferry 150km west across the formidable Hecate Strait to the remote archipelago of Haida Gwaii.

Prince Rupert can be reached by BC Ferries from Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island; by air from Vancouver; by taking ViaRail's Skeena train (from Jasper in Alberta) or by car or Greyhound bus through the Skeena Valley along Yellowhead Highway 16.