Dean Channel[1] is the upper end of one of the longest inlets of the British Columbia Coast,[2] 105 km (65.2 mi) from its head at the mouth of the Kimsquit River.
Ending at the mouth of Cousins Inlet, which is the harbour for the abandoned town of Ocean Falls, the fjord's name changes to Fisher Channel down the west side of King Island.
A side-inlet of Burke Channel, North Bentinck Arm, is noteworthy as the place where the overland expedition by fur trade explorer Alexander Mackenzie reached the sea, on July 20, 1793.
Mackenzie did not reach the open ocean, stopping at the ruins of an old Heiltsuk village on the north side of Dean Channel.
Bella Coola is the only community on the coast between Vancouver and Kitimat, to have road access to the rest of the province, via British Columbia Highway 20 to Williams Lake via the Chilcotin region.