Hospital Beach

There is much about Kitimat that only the locals can understand. Even someone from Terrace, who very possibly drives every day to work in Kitimat, has trouble understanding the town.

Take, for example, Hospital Beach.

Now on a beautiful day, people love to go to the beach. Have a picnic. Enjoy the water. Enjoy the sun. Get away from it all. That is common throughout the world, right?.

Now Kitimatians have easy access to Lakelse Lake. Granted it is a little longer of a drive than it is for Terracites, but the sandy beaches, the well attended picnic areas, and the lake views and activities are as good as it gets.

If that is a little far for a quick picnic, there are multiple popularly frequented areas along the Kitimat river. The mountain views and cool breeze are beautiful. You can easily escape the everyday doldrums of work and home.

So why is it a Kitimat right of passage to hang out at industry dominated Hospital Beach?

Hospital Beach is an historically important piece of land. When Alcan, and thus Kitimat itself, was first being constructed in the early 1950s, this was this land that served as Ground Zero. It served as a construction camp featuring a weather station, sea plane base, RCMP station, living quarters, and of course, a hospital.

When the smelter operations and the town of Kitimat were completed by 1954, the area was eventually vacated. By 1979, the employees of Alcan chose to turn this area into park land to commemorate Alcan's and Kitimat's 25th anniversary.

The one thing that sticks out, however, is Alcan. You go to this beach, and you get a great view of aluminum shrine. It is like a domineering shrine. You get a great view of the wharf, which I suppose might be interesting if a huge frieghter ship arrives.

But with Lakelse Lake or Kitimat River nearby, it is hard to understand the draw of Hospital Beach. Kitimat's industry is inescapable. Practically every view of town includes the operations that created the town in the first place. So why not try to escape it?


I stopped in on Hospital Beach in July, 2006, and to my surprise it was an extremely pleasant experience! The tide was out, so the beach area grew significantly. And people of all ages were out enjoying the muddy sand bars and shallow waters. There was marine life to explore, if you wanted to touch the slimy creatures. I preferred to watch the plentiful birds.

It was a hot day, so the winds were welcomingly cool as I read from my guide books while resting on one of the well-sat-on washed up logs. The picnic tables were in use, and there is a curious barbeque area to explore. The hideous shelter invites the curiousity to figure out what the heck it is.

The beach also gives visitors one of the nicest views of the fjord-like Douglas Channel. Although always present, the waterway is one of the few places in the northwest that isn't completely dominated by towering mountains. Therefore the sky seemingly widens. I spent more than a few minutes to take the rare northwest opportunity to study an amazing sky filled with some interesting cloud patterns and warm sunshine.

In fact, I completely forgot all about the only thing that I've ever previously noticed about Hospital Beach. The aluminum smelters that were so noticeable at my arrival were easily forgotten in no time at all.

Hmm. I think I finally get it.