Skeena West. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Special notes
- There are no roads or trails in this wilderness area.
- This conservancy is closed to Grizzly bear hunting.
- The water in the hot springs is not suitable for drinking.
- To prevent overcrowding and damage to the dock and shifting of dock anchors, boats over 11 metres (36 feet) are requested to anchor offshore.
- Please only use soap and shampoo in the outer tub and pool. This will help to keep the water cleaner in the inner soaking tub and pool.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
- Bishop Bay – Monkey Beach Conservancy map [PDF]
- Reference: Marine Chart #3743 (Douglas Channel)
- Reference: 1:50,000 scale Topographic Map #103 H/7 (Ursula Channel) and #103 H/10 (Devastation Channel)
- Lakelse Douglas Channel Area map [PDF]
Getting there
Bishop Bay-Monkey Beach Conservancy is only accessible by boat or floatplane. It is located about 25 km east of Hartley Bay and 75 km south of Kitimat along the east side of Ursula Channel, east of Gribbell Island.
Camping
Cabins and huts
Prior approval is needed for the use of the Haisla Nation cabins. Please contact the Haisla Nation at 250-639-9361, ext. 362 for Haisla Lands Manager, Tracey Ross.
Two trapper’s cabins built by the Haisla Nation are available for public use. The cabins are 15 ft by 12 ft with two double bunk beds, and available on a first come, first served basis. Be prepared to sleep outside if the cabins are full. There are sheltered boat anchorages near both cabin locations.
- One cabin is located by the creek mouth in Bishop Cove.
- The other is located at Monkey Beach, behind a small tombolo island about halfway between Riordan Point and Bishop Cove. There is no fresh water source by this cabin.
A third Haisla cabin is located outside of the conservancy, but nearby in Boxer Reach, on the east side of Gribbell Island, on a gravel spit about 1.25 nautical miles northwest of Riordan Point. There is no fresh water source by this cabin.
Marine-accessible camping
Wilderness or marine-accessible camping is allowed. Two mooring buoys have also been installed at the end of Bishop Bay.
A short boardwalk trail from the boat dock at Bishop Bay heads south to a small camping area that has four elevated tent platforms (three are 12 ft by 12 ft and one at 10 ft by 10 ft) and a campfire pit.
Another short boardwalk trail from the boat dock heads north approximately 100 metres to the picnic shelter, hot springs bath house and pit toilet. Reservations are not accepted at this conservancy and all sites and facilities are on a first come, first served basis.
When visiting marine-accessible sites, be respectful of the sensitive wildlife habitats, and learn how to stay safe using our marine visitor guide.
Wilderness camping
Wilderness camping is allowed.
When visiting the backcountry, always follow Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. To learn more about staying safe in the backcountry, read our backcountry guide.
Winter camping
There are winter camping opportunities in this conservancy, as it can be accessed year-round.
Things to do
Swimming is possible in the ocean, but the water is cold all year.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
There may be opportunities for fishing in the streams near the shores of the conservancy. Please consult the appropriate non-tidal fishing regulations for more information.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
Hunting is permitted in this park.
Anyone hunting in British Columbia must comply with BC hunting regulations. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
Facilities
A campfire ring and grate is located beside the Haisla Nation trapper’s cabin at Monkey Beach. Firewood is not provided.
If you must have a fire, please burn only dead and down wood, and be sure to fully extinguish the fire when done. Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil so please use it conservatively, if at all.
We encourage visitors to conserve wood and protect the environment by minimizing the use of campfires and using camp stoves instead.
Campfire bans may be in place. Before lighting a fire, check for bans or restrictions on BC Wildfire Service and on local or Indigenous government websites.
The hot spring is located at Ursula Channel, east end of Bishop Bay on the north side, about 65 km south of Kitimat. The waters are odorless. Boats over 36 ft are requested to anchor offshore and not tie up to the small dock. Use soap and shampoo only in the outer pool.
GPS: Lat. 53° 28’ 14” North; Long. 128° 50’ 12” West
Pool Water Temperature: 40°C
Facilities: Wood frame and concrete block bathhouse (8 ft by 16 ft) just above high tide line with two soaking pools. Overflow water from the larger covered inside pool feeds a smaller pool outside. The bathhouse has a change room with a bench and coat hooks. Facilities also include a deck, dock, mooring buoys, composting pit toilet, boardwalk trail, four tent platforms and information shelter.
Bishop Bay hot springs has a day-use and picnic area. Facilities include a covered 8 ft by16 ft cement bathhouse for soaking in hot spring water, one composting pit toilet, four tent platforms and three mooring buoys.
The UTM coordinates for the hot springs and bath house are: Zone 09U; 5924660 m North; 0510822 m East. The three mooring buoys at the end of Bishop Bay are available on a first come, first served basis.
About this conservancy
The conservancy is in the asserted traditional territories of the Haisla, Gitga’at and Gitxaala Nations. The conservancy contains five known archaeological sites (pre-contact shell middens, plank house depressions, faded pictographs) and has historically been used for the traditional harvest of shellfish and trapping by local First Nations. Monkey Beach got its name from legendary sightings of monkey-like creatures (Sasquatch) by local First Nations.
Use the below links for more information or to contact these First Nations.
- Haisla Nation
- Gitga’at Nation
- Gitxaala Nation
PO Box 149
Kitkatla, BC V0V 1C0
Phone: 250-848-2214
Fax: 250-848-2238
Bishop Bay-Monkey Beach Conservancy was designated as a conservancy on July 14, 2006, with the Monkey Beach area added on May 31, 2007 following recommendations from the North Coast Land and Resource Management Plan. Prior to being designated as a Conservancy in 2006, Bishop Bay hot springs was a BC Forest Service Recreation Site maintained by the North Coast Forest District out of Prince Rupert. The hot springs bath house was originally built in the 1960s by volunteers from the Kitimat Yacht Club.
In September 2010, BC Parks with the help of Canada Coast Guard, installed two mooring buoys at the end of Bishop Bay. In June 2015, a third mooring buoy was installed with the help of Canada Coast Guard.
The conservancy protects an area of cultural and historical value to the local First Nations as well as high recreational use and old-growth forests of red cedar and hemlock, portions of small coastal streams and coastal wildlife habitat that includes the marine foreshore and intertidal areas.
Bears, wolves, and sometimes deer can be seen along the shoreline. Humpback whales, killer whales, Dall’s porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, sea lions and harbour seals can also be seen in the adjacent marine waters. Kermode bears are commonly seen on Gribbell Island, to the west of the conservancy.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.
Contact
| Kitimat Visitor Information Centre | P.O. Box 214, 2109 Forest Avenue, Kitimat, BC V8C 2G7 |
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| BC Parks regional office | |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
