Nestled in Nimmo Bay

You might feel like you are on the moon, the colours on the shore and in the hills above Nimmo Bay sometimes have the peeled barren beigeness of a rock in space.  In a different light you might think you are in Scotland.

Of course, if it’s not other-worldly enough for you, you could take a chopper from one of the nearby helicopter pads to have lunch on a glacier. Such are a modern boater’s options.

Nimmo Bay and Little Nimmo Bay are off the northwestern shore of Mackenzie Sound in the Broughton Archipelago. The shallow entrance will test the nerves of crews on deep-keeled vessels, and charts only vaguely suggest the safest route through and around the shoals.

On your first attempt, a transit on rising water might relieve anxiety, though if you enter between the charted rocks and stay west of the shallows (charted at 0.3 metres, or roughly one foot at zero tide), you should be all right. 

Once inside, there are several places to anchor. You can drop a hook off the Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort in Little Nimmo Bay, or in a sheltered reach just west of the entrance, but the most popular choice is to take the narrow channel to Nimmo Bay which opens to the northwest providing lots of swing room, with convenient depths and good holding in sticky mud.

The shoreline, with broad, drying sand flats, is fascinating to explore. There are trails between Nimmo and Little Nimmo bays and beyond, but they are also commonly used by grizzlies and black bears, so think twice before venturing too far without bear spray or an air horn. When we were recently there, the resort was setting up motion-activated cameras so guests could view wildlife from safer grounds.

The resort has also set up floats in the bay for guests, one with a swim ladder and fancy sauna, a self-indulgent way to spend a day.

Back in Little Nimmo Bay, the resort used to offer transient moorage at its docks, but no longer does due to a dock redesign and limited space. There is lots of room to anchor in the small, protected bay.

The resort is a surprise on close inspection, offering a special experience for those with the means to take advantage of all the services available. Even if you don’t, with 24-hour notice resort staff will happily take you and your crew on a tour of the facilities, which includes a beautiful waterfall in the centre of the resort.

Once a fishing camp, the resort is now much more, with yoga and massage studios, luxury accommodations and four helicopter pads to ferry guests anywhere they might want to go. The adventures might involve fishing in remote lakes, wildlife viewing or choices from a long list of wilderness experiences.

All services, including a wonderful $185 four-course dinner, are available to boaters, with reservations taken from April 15. Call toll free 1-800-837-4354 or email heli@nimmobay.com, though you will need a satellite phone from elsewhere in Mackenzie Sound and area. If in the vicinity, the resort monitors VHF channel 10.

Even for boaters not so well heeled, the remoteness of Nimmo Bay offers a wilderness experience that isn’t flashy, but is free for the taking.