Holberg, The Door to Cape Scott

In 1897 settlers carved a home out of the rugged Cape Scott area. By 1907 most settlers had moved to "West Arm" (later to become Holberg). In 1909 when the post office was to be established "West Arm" became Holberg. Danish settlers named their homestead after Baron Eluting Holberg, an important Danish historian and writer. Their farms spread throughout the area, eventually the Danes and their farms disappeared but remnants of their settlement are still found in sections of the never-completed wagon trail...now the hiking trail to Cape Scott.

Holberg continued as an important logging town and later as a Canadian Air Force radar station.

Today, Holberg residents tend the surrounding forest and maintain area salmon spawning streams. Holberg is a haven for every kind of nature activity and a hiker's paradise.

Services at Holberg include the Scarlet Ibis Restaurant and Pub (excellent food),

a fuel station, convenience store and a motel.

Take a challenging eight hour (27 km) hike through an exquisite old growth forest to Cape Scott Provincial Park's windswept beaches at the top of Vancouver Island. This 15,070 hectare park offers unparalleled Wildlife viewing; bear, wolves, cougars, deer and a large variety of seabirds and an annual migration of Trumpeter Swans.

For an easy hour hike San Josef Bay offers beautiful views of the west coast, birds and wildlife. Kayak in sheltered Holberg Inlet...surf the big waves at Raft Cove...and a short drive takes you to rugged Cape Palmerston (called 2 minute beach by the locals as that is how close it is to hike the trail) to watch the pounding Pacific surf.

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