Side by side · Fishing Lodges

Steep Island Lodge vs The Lodge at Gold River

Two fishing lodges side by side from their own published tariffs: Steep Island Lodge from $545, The Lodge at Gold River from $780 per person, with seasons, what is and is not in the price, deposit and cancellation terms, and the transfer from the gateway.

How this page is made. Every figure is from the two operators' own published tariffs and booking pages, as recorded in their Ledgers, last read 14 September 2026. The sentences under "Which one" are rules over those figures, not opinion; where an operator publishes nothing, the row says so and the rule stays quiet. Ben has stayed at both.

The lodge at Steep Island lit from within at dusk, its deck and boardwalk running along the bluff above Discovery Passage

Discovery Islands Steep Island Lodge

A small aluminium fishing boat alone on glassy green water, seen from directly overhead

Nootka Sound The Lodge at Gold River

The record

Side by side

Fact	Steep Island Lodge	The Lodge at Gold River
From, per person	From $545 per person per night on a 1-night minimum, 2026 tariff	From $780 per person per night on a 1-night minimum, Year-round (All year), 2026 tariff
Per night	$545 per person, the printed nightly rate	$780 per person, the printed nightly rate
All in, with tax	about $572 per person for the shortest stay, with GST at 5%	about $819 per person for the shortest stay, with GST at 5%
Stays sold	By the night, 1 to 7 nights	By the night, 1 to 7 nights
Priced for	Double; Single; Triple; Child, 12 and under	Double; Single
Season	Not published; salmon fishing in Discovery Passage runs roughly May to September	Year-round, All year
In the price	Transport to and from Campbell River: the shuttle from Campbell River Airport and the water taxi to the island A suite in one of the cedar cabins, each with a private ocean view and a wood stove Breakfast, lunch, dinner and appetizers The exercise room, the games room with pool and shuffleboard, and the large-screen TV in the lounge On a fishing day: guide and boat, all fishing gear, rain gear and floater coats, a picnic lunch and snacks, and your catch cleaned and boxed	Transport to and from Campbell River, where the lodge meets flights from Vancouver and Seattle A suite in one of the three cabins: two queen beds, a wood-burning fireplace, a sitting area, a granite bathroom, a semi-private covered deck All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and appetisers All non-alcoholic drinks The exercise room, the game room with shuffleboard and a large-screen television, and the fly-casting pond On a guided fishing package: the guide, the gear, lunch and transport, including the helicopter on a heli day Sage rods and reels and Simms waders from the tack room, for guests on a guided fishing package A pressurised, heated drying room for waders, boots and outdoor clothing Telephone, high-speed wireless internet and cable television in every room
Not in the price	Applicable taxes Alcohol Gratuities Fishing: $190 an hour per boat on an 8-hour tide, one to four anglers to a boat Fishing licences Extra fish processing: vacuum sealing, smoking and canning, available on request Diving and eco tours, priced on request; a fuel surcharge may apply to eco tours Getting to Campbell River	Taxes Gratuities Fishing licences: a BC freshwater licence and steelhead stamp for the rivers, a tidal licence with the salmon stamp for the saltwater day Fishing itself: heli fishing at $3,900 or $4,750 a day, a guided saltwater day $1,000, a local river day $500, the party barge lake day $550 The heli-picnic ($475 with a heli fishing day, $1,750 without), the Hot Springs Cove hike ($1,350) and golf ($90) Alcohol: the rate card lists non-alcoholic drinks only Getting to Campbell River
Deposit	Not published. The lodge books by email and phone and does not print a deposit on its site; ask when you enquire.	Not published
If you cancel	Not published	Not published
Getting there	Water taxi from Campbell River (Campbell River Airport, or the Discovery Marina dock if you drive): an airport shuttle and a 10-minute boat ride, in the price.	Road from Gold River (100 Muchalat Drive, Gold River; the lodge meets flights at Campbell River): in town; the transfer from Campbell River, about an hour, is in the rate, in the price.
Sleeps	22 guests	18 guests
Region	Discovery Islands, British Columbia	Nootka Sound, British Columbia
Source	2026 tariff, read 14 September 2026	2026 tariff, read 14 September 2026

"From" is the lowest adult double rate in the newest tariff, per person for the shortest stay sold; the all-in line adds the tax the calculator adds. Anything marked "our estimate" is ours, not the operator's.

Which one

What the record says

Both are priced by the night, and Steep Island Lodge is the cheaper: $545 per person against $780 at The Lodge at Gold River, before tax, both on a 1-night minimum.

The Lodge at Gold River is open all year; Steep Island Lodge does not publish its dates, so ask before comparing.

The Lodge at Gold River lists more in the price, 9 items to 5; both lists are in the table.

The Lodge at Gold River starts in Gold River itself; Steep Island Lodge is an airport shuttle and a 10-minute boat ride from Campbell River.

The Lodge at Gold River is the smaller place, 18 guests to 22.

Which of those matters is yours to weigh; the pages behind each place have the rest, and the calculators price a stay for your own party.

Steep Island Lodge
The record and the Ledger What a trip costs, all in Request availability
The Lodge at Gold River
The record and the Ledger What a trip costs, all in Request availability

Answered from the record

Which is cheaper, Steep Island Lodge or The Lodge at Gold River?

Both are priced by the night, and Steep Island Lodge is the cheaper: $545 per person against $780 at The Lodge at Gold River, before tax, both on a 1-night minimum.

What is included at Steep Island Lodge and at The Lodge at Gold River?

Steep Island Lodge lists 5 things in the price, starting with transport to and from Campbell River and a suite in one of the cedar cabins. The Lodge at Gold River lists 9, starting with transport to and from Campbell River and a suite in one of the three cabins. The full lists, and what each leaves out, are in the table on this page.

How do you get to Steep Island Lodge and to The Lodge at Gold River?

Steep Island Lodge: Water taxi from Campbell River (Campbell River Airport, or the Discovery Marina dock if you drive): an airport shuttle and a 10-minute boat ride, in the price. The Lodge at Gold River: Road from Gold River (100 Muchalat Drive, Gold River; the lodge meets flights at Campbell River): in town; the transfer from Campbell River, about an hour, is in the rate, in the price.