Also departing from Port Hardy, the Discovery Coast's Queen of Chilliwack connects small, mostly First Nations communities along the fiords and islands of the northern coast, including Namu, Bella Bella, Shearwater, Ocean Falls, and Klemtu. The most popular part of this run is the summer-only service to Bella Coola, which links to Highway 20, a paved and gravel road that's a day's drive from Williams Lake, in central British Columbia's Fraser Valley.
In summer, a direct ferry runs on Thursday to Bella Coola, a Tuesday circular run goes north to McLoughlin Bay and Shearwater before returning to Port Hardy via Bella Coola, and a Saturday circular run goes to the above ports as well as Klemtu and Ocean Falls before returning via Bella Coola (there's a map on the BC Ferries website to help you make sense of the different routings). The Tuesday and Saturday departures require a night on the boat. In high season, fares between Port Hardy and Bella Coola are C$115 (US$92) per adult passenger and C$231 (US$184) for a car. Note that there is no reason to take a car to any of these destinations except for Bella Coola, as there is otherwise no road system to drive on.
For sleeping, you might snag one of 110 extra-wide reclining seats. Otherwise, BC Ferries recommends bringing a tent or cot, which you can set up on the leeward side of the boat. You can rent pillows and blankets for C$5 (US$4); lockers and showers are available. Pets are allowed on board, but must remain in vehicles on the car deck; owners can descend to those decks to tend to their pets' needs.
