The river meanders along the eastern and northern edges of the town before discharging into the head of North Bentinck Arm.

The Bella Coola has been ranked as having the World's Best Heliskiing Operation since 2017,[1][2] and has held this title consistently every year since.

[3][4] The nearby Clayton Falls Creek provides public access to the North Bentinck Arm for the community.

Increasingly the term "Nuxalk Territory" is used for the entire region, and Bella Coola refers specifically to the river valley.

The maritime air is made warmer by the passage of the outer islands, but is stronger in terms of winter moderation.

The 137 kilometre section from Bella Coola to Anahim Lake was built in 1953 by local residents, and features a 15 km ascent from the Valley floor to the Chilcotin plateau, gaining 1600 metres in elevation to the summit at Heckman Pass, via a number of steep grades & switchbacks.

[13] The Nuxalk people were present in the Bella Coola valley prior to any formal written history of the area.

The trading trails of the Nuxalk and neighbouring nations became a popular route from the Pacific Ocean to central British Columbia, particularly during the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s.

The Norwegian settlement was named Hagensborg and remains one of the main communities of the Bella Coola Valley.

When the community of Ocean Falls suffered a massive population decline in 1980/81, due to the closure of the town's primary industry (a paper mill), Bella Coola became the administrative centre for British Columbia's central coast.

Significant footage for the film was shot in and near Bella Coola, though only very limited amounts were retained in the finished product.

[14] The Bella Coola Valley is located within the North Coast-Haida Gwaii electoral district of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly.