Princess Louisa Inlet on the

British Columbia Coast , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Coast" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = British ...

is in length and lies at the north east end of

Jervis Inlet , image = MtFWAir.jpg , image_size = 260px , pushpin_map=British Columbia , caption = Mount Frederick William & the "elbow" of the inlet , image_bathymetry = Carte simplifiée baie Jervis.svg , caption_bathymetry = Map of Jervis Inlet , locat ...

. It is entered through

Malibu Rapids The Malibu Rapids forms the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet and is also connected to the Jervis Inlet. The tidal flow of both inlets pass through this narrow and shallow passage that creates a fast moving (approximately ) and strong tidal rapi ...

off Queens Reach past Malibu, a former private resort and now youth camp. A portion of the area that makes up

Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada surrounding Princess Louisa Inlet Princess Louisa Inlet on the British Columbia Coast is in length and lies at the north east end of Jervis Inlet. It is e ...

. James Bruce Falls and

Chatterbox Falls Chatterbox Falls is a waterfall in British Columbia, Canada, located at the head or end of Princess Louisa Inlet. It is part of Loquilts River which empties into the inlet. The falls are a popular destination for boaters around the world and are ...

are on Loquilts Creek, a large stream that enters the head of the inlet.

History

In June 1792

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

, charting the

BC Coast , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Coast" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = British ...

in a search for the Northwest Passage, explored

to its end, and found the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet but did not enter as the tide was ebbing through

at the time. In 1860 Captain George Richards surveyed and mapped Jervis and Princess Louisa Inlets naming it and surrounding features. In the same year Commander Richard Charles Mayne explored the valley at the head of the inlet hoping that it would lead to the interior of British Columbia. Princess louisa inlet view

James F. "Mac" MacDonald purchased the core of the park, , in 1919 and donated it to the Princess Louisa International Society in 1953. It was acquired by

BC Parks BC Parks is an agency of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy that manages all of the, as of 2020, 1,035 provincial parks and other conservation and historical properties of various title designations within t ...

in 1964. Much of the remaining land surrounding the inlet has been acquired and added to the park in the following years. Hamilton Island, renamed

MacDonald Island Princess Louisa Inlet on the British Columbia Coast is in length and lies at the north east end of Jervis Inlet. It is entered through Malibu Rapids off Queens Reach past Malibu, a former private resort and now youth camp. A portion of the ar ...

, is now a part of the park as well. Chatterbox Falls from distance

In 1940 Herman Caspar, who was rumored to have homesteaded at the entrance of the inlet, sold the land to

Thomas F. Hamilton Thomas Foster Hamilton (July 28, 1894 – August 12, 1969) was a pioneering aviator and the founder of the Hamilton Standard Company. Since 1930, Hamilton Standard (now Hamilton Sundstrand) was involved with revolutionizing the propulsion te ...

for $500. Casper was a squatter and had no legal right to the land. Hamilton, an American aviation executive, did buy all the land surrounding Princess Louisa Inlet with the intent on developing it with a series of themed luxury resorts to cater to visiting yachtsmen and Hollywood celebrities.Hitz, Charles W.(2003). ''Through the Rapids – The History of Princess Louisa Inlet'', p. 95
Sitka 2 Publishing
., Kirkland, WA. . However, only one resort was built at the entrance of the inlet, the

Malibu Club Malibu is a locality in the Canadian province of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast district. This place may also be referred to as Malibu Islet and Malibu Rapids. This was the site of the Malibu Club, formerly a private resort which is today a ...

which was named after Hamilton's yacht, the ''Malibu''. In 1950, the resort was closed and abandoned due to a polio outbreak and quarantine. The property was later sold to

Young Life Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college. Week-long Summer camps are a major focus, and these have a definite evangelizing asp ...

in 1953 and has successfully operated it as a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

Christian summer camp for teenagers.

Naming of the inlet

The inlet may have been named for

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: ;People: * Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1848–1939, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom * Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, 1867–1931, the ...

, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, whose husband was the

Marquess of Lorne A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, Governor General of Canada. The vice regal couple traveled extensively in Canada. Princess Louise spent three months in Victoria, in 1876 and was popular to the point that when the Governor General announced that the awaited completion of the transcontinental railway would pass through the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica Pe ...

at the Kicking Horse Pass into what has since become Vancouver, rather than by the Yellowhead Pass to Bute Inlet and then to Victoria, Premier Robert Beaven asked Duke whether it would be possible for Vancouver Island to become a separate kingdom with Princess Louise as Queen. The more accepted theory is that the inlet is named for Queen Victoria's mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who was born Mary Louise Victoria. The actual source of the name is uncertain. The adjacent Prince of Wales Reach was named after Edward VII when he was the Prince of Wales. Princess Royal Reach was named after Empress Frederick of Germany. Five mountains around Queens Reach are named after the children of Queen Victoria: Mount Victoria, Mount Alfred, Mount Alice, Mount Arthur and Mount Helena.

MacDonald Island

MacDonald Island is part of Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia, between the entrance of the inlet at

to the head of the inlet at

. It is a popular mooring place for it is one of the few shallow places of the deep fjord. The island was originally named after the man who built a cabin at

- James F. MacDonald. In 1940 the Island was renamed Hamilton Island after

, who built the

and purchased the land from MacDonald for $18,000. In 1972, the land's name reverted to the original name of MacDonald Island.

Access

The nearest road access to the inlet is about away at the BC Ferries landing on

Highway 101 Highway 101 was an American country music band founded in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. The initial lineup consisted of Paulette Carlson (lead vocals), Jack Daniels (guitar), Curtis Stone (bass guitar, vocals), and Scott "Cactus" Moser (drums) ...

at Earls Cove. The area is a popular destination for boaters and can also be accessed by

float plane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, m ...

from various locations around the

Strait of Georgia The Strait of Georgia (french: Détroit de Géorgie) or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada and the extreme northwestern mainland coast ...

and water taxi from Earls Cove. Boaters should note that

is a narrow entrance and at spring tide can have a current of .

Gallery

File:Princess Louisa Inlet from boat.jpg, Inlet from boat. File:Princess Louisa Inlet harbour.jpg, Harbour File:Princess Louisa Inlet harbour2.jpg, File:Chatterbox Falls from distance.jpg, File:Path to Chatterbox Falls 2015.jpg, File:Path to Chatterbox Falls.jpg, Path to the falls. File:Chatterbox Falls stream.jpg, Stream from Chatterbox Falls.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Fjords of British Columbia Sunshine Coast Regional District New Westminster Land District Inlets of British Columbia