The Gitga'at Fuel Station at Hartley Bay is a critical waypoint on the Inside Passage to Alaska, offering marine gas, diesel, and around 40 slips of moorage managed by the Gitga'at First Nation. Fuel can run short in summer - call ahead.
Hartley Bay (Kulkayu) sits on Gitga'at Nation territory at the confluence of Douglas Channel and the Inside Passage corridor, roughly 125 km south of Prince Rupert. For any cruiser making the passage north or south along BC's central coast, it is effectively a mandatory fuel stop - there is no equivalent source for a significant stretch in either direction.
The marine fuel facility is operated by the Gitga'at First Nation as the GFN Fuel Station, integrated with the Small Craft Harbour dock. The dock accommodates approximately 40 boats with side-tie moorage, and provides electricity and water hookups in addition to fuel. Washrooms are available dockside. A full-time day attendant is on site during operating hours.
Fuel is the main draw, but moorage fees are by donation - a welcome arrangement for a stop that is more about positioning and fueling than extended stays. If dock space is tight, Coghlan Anchorage (53 deg 23.9'N, 129 deg 17.0'W) via Stewart Narrows offers mooring buoys as an alternative.
Summer operating hours (2024): weekdays 7am-12pm, 1pm-5pm, and 6pm-9pm; weekends 8am-12pm and 1pm-2pm. Hours may vary by season - contact the station before arrival.
Important: fuel supplies can run low during the busy summer season. Call ahead before depending on Hartley Bay for fuel. Enter the harbour southeast of the breakwater and watch for the shallow area southeast of the fuel dock.
The Gitga'at people - the People of the Cane - have called this coast home for millennia. The surrounding Great Bear Rainforest is one of the most intact temperate rainforests on earth, and the waters around Hartley Bay are rich with marine wildlife. The community is also well-known in BC waters for the role its members played in rescuing survivors of the 2006 Queen of the North ferry sinking, pulling people from freezing water in the middle of the night.
Fuel and shore power available at Hartley Bay Fuel Dock.
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If Hartley Bay Fuel Dock is full or you are weighing options, here is the closest moorage — sorted by distance.
