About Us

Sea kayaking British Columbia Vacations with Canada's Original Wilderness Sea Kayaking Vancouver Island Lodge.

British Columbia is the beautiful west coast province with almost endless Vancouver Island kayak camping vacation possibilities. Coast Mountain Expeditions offers sea kayaking Vancouver Island camping trips and kayaking lodge getaways in BC’s coastal wilderness.

Our environmentally-sensitive practices and renewable energy systems make Coast Mountain lodges models for sustainability in the Discovery Islands of British Columbia. We Welcome You!

A step away from civilization, Canada’s Discovery Islands are gems of tranquility in the shadow of British Columbia’s majestic Coast Mountains. From a sheltered bay on Read Island, Coast Mountain’s Homestead Lodge offers friendly, comfortable and safe access, and sea kayaking BC trips in the spectacular Vancouver Island wilderness beyond our doors.

Life on our remote island homestead has given us experience, familiarity and respect for the extraordinary environment we are privileged to inhabit. Since 1987 we have offered a variety of BC sea kayaking experiences for people of all ages and abilities. Relaxing and fun, our Vancouver Island eco tours and kayak lodge programs also focus on developing your skills and self-confidence while enjoying some of British Columbia’s most beautiful sea kayak wilderness. In BC sea kayaking is an easily-learned mode of travel which allows spectacular wilderness trips and offers endless personal rewards: the thrill of wind and waves, the tranquility of calm water, the solitude of small coves and special places only accessible to the seaworthy kayak and the adventurous soul. Dramatic scenery, remote beach camping, wonders of nature, and wilderness solitude make each day sea kayaking Vancouver Island a journey of many discoveries. We hope that sharing Canada’s west coast environment will remind and inspire us all to live in ways which gentle our human impact and help preserve earth’s wild spaces. We take great pleasure in sharing our remote island lifestyle and the natural beauty of our home at the edge of BC’s highest mountains.

Coast Mountain People: Young, naive, and looking for an adventurous life, Ralph & Lannie Keller settled on Read Island in 1979. We were inspired by the natural beauty of the Discovery Islands and the immense magnificent wilderness beyond. Our homestead lifestyle offered abundant challenges from basic survival to economic reality…

Intense appreciation for our environment and a background in wilderness guiding created our vision for an alternative to prevailing resource industries. With youthful energy, beach logs and a small sawmill, we built Coast Mountain Lodge and the first sea kayak expeditions set off in 1987. Years of hiking, climbing and kayaking in this part of BC have contributed to our understanding and deep respect for the land and sea. Off-season we are politically active with special interests in forest biology, renewable energy and sustainable economy.

Ralph is our builder and fixer of almost everything wooden, mechanical and electrical and he finds great satisfaction in producing electric power from water and solar energy. He is an active charter member in the Sea Kayaking Guides Alliance of BC, and recently authored chapters about Tidal Rapids, Desolation Sound, and the Discovery Islands in the BC kayaking guide Sea Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest. Ralph guides many of Coast Mountain’s sea kayaking Vancouver Island tours.

Lannie’s repertoire is the variety show in wilderness context, with creative forte in the kitchen and gardens. Behind-the-scenes organizer, Lannie keeps the big ship on course and provides a warm welcome for Coast Mountain visitors. Our children, almost grown up, help us and the other people who make Coast Mountain Vancouver Island eco tours a community effort. Coast Mountain has grown, too and we now offer more and different west coast lodge vacations and a great variety of opportunities for people who come to explore sea kayaking Vancouver Island and BC wilderness adventure trips.

Coast Mountain's Guides: Coast Mountain relies on highly skilled local people who understand this area, know the stories, and know the best ways to share our temperate rainforest & marine environments with you. Our kayak guides and co-workers are all friendly and good-humored individuals committed to making your time with us safe and memorable. Two guides accompany each kayaking trip. Coast Mountain Expeditions kayak guides are certified Advanced Wilderness First Aid and also certified by the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, North America's largest regulatory body for professional kayak guides.

Our Kayak Lodge: Coast Mountain Lodge on Read Island (via Quadra Island near Vancouver Island, BC Canada) provides accommodation for folks on our multi-day kayaking Vancouver Island tours. Located on the waterfront of our remote island homestead, Coast Mountain is British Columbia’s original sea kayaking lodge!

Discovery Islands Lodge on Quadra Island is our new B&B Kayak Hostel. Located at the end of the Surge Narrows Road near Main Lakes, BC Provincial Park and rainforest wilderness – Discovery Lodge you can drive to! See www.Discovery-Islands-Lodge.com

We built Coast Mountain Lodge in the shelter of a deep bay facing south. Handmade of cedar post and beam, guests all enjoy the sunny dining area and the pleasant living room is graced with a Steinway piano.

Coast Mountain Lodge has sleeping cabins, which provide comfortable accommodation in simple two-person rooms. Our sauna and solar showers are set beside a pretty pool on the pure cold creek. We have compost system outhouses for the rustic touch -- and to protect ground and ocean waters. Coast Mountain Lodge runs almost entirely on renewable energy created here with solar panels and small hydroelectric systems.

Coast Mountain’s Homestead Food: At the lodge and on Coast Mountain's BC kayak camping trips, we serve abundant and wholesome meals featuring vegetables and fruits from our own organic gardens, and seafood fresh from local waters. Our home-baked breads and desserts are extra tasty because we fresh-grind organic flour and our chickens supply great eggs.

When we purchase foods, we select BC organically grown when possible and actively avoid genetically engineered products. Coast Mountain food is healthy, delicious and deservedly popular!

Coast Mountain Expeditions offers sea kayaking Vancouver Island trips in British Columbia, Canada. Our kayak camping eco tours and lodge based nature vacations start from Quadra Island in BC’s Discovery Islands east of Campbell River, B.C. Guided Vancouver Island kayaking BC trips include kayak instruction, wilderness lodge accommodation & kayak camping in spectacular remote island locations. We are one of BC’s original kayak companies – natural island-ocean-mountain wilderness adventures since 1987!