Access By Ferry Improved

The Inside Passage along the coast of British Columbia is familiar to cruise ship passengers heading for Alaska, but settlements on some of the rugged islands and the Canadian mainland are not. To give access to them, B.C. Ferries of Victoria has refurbished the 376-foot Queen of Chilliwack for overnight service until Sept. 27 from Port Hardy at the northern end of Vancouver Island to Bella Coola, the gateway to the Cariboo Chilcotin coast of the mainland with its fjords and mountain lakes.

On some trips the ferry, which has a capacity of 300 passengers and 115 vehicles, also calls at Namu, Bella Bella, Shearwater, Klemtu and Ocean Falls, making journeys in 13 or more hours depending on the number of stops. Passengers ride in first-class-style airline reclining seats and are offered movies and showers. Bar service and a la carte cafeteria meals are also available.

One-way fares range from $63 a person for foot passengers to $345 for two people traveling together with a recreational vehicle. Intermediate stops are permitted, and the ferry’s itinerary is repeated every eight days so that most continuing or return trips can be made within a couple of days. Land packages are offered, including an hour’s walking tour for $9 a person and an overnight stay for two in a bunkhouse at a fish camp for $59. Reservations: (604) 386-3431.

Best beaches: Hawaii and Florida have claimed all 10 of the country’s best beaches. Here’s the list for 1996, from University of Maryland Prof. Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. “Dr. Beach.”

1. Lanikai Beach, Hawaii; 2. Kailua, Hawaii; 3. Caladesi Island State Park, Fla.; 4. Kaunaoa, Hawaii; 5. Wailea, Hawaii; 6. Hulopoe, Hawaii; 7. Cape Florida State Recreation Area, Fla.; 8. Fort Desoto Park, Fla.; 9. Hanalei Beach, Hawaii; 10. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area, Fla.

Best Walking Beaches: Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.; Hammocks Beach State Park, N.C.; Crescent Beach, Siesta Key, Fla.; Carmel Beach, Calif.; Kailua Beach, Oahu.

Best Wild Beaches: Jasper Beach, Maine; Cumberland Island, Ga.; Padre Island, Tex.; Shi Shi Beach, Wash.; Kalalua Beach State Park, Hawaii.

Most Romantic Beaches: East Hampton, N.Y.; Kiawah Island, S.C.; Captiva Island, Fla.; Santa Catalina Island, Calif.; Hermosa Beach, Hana, Maui.

Parks restrictions: The severe drought that recently contributed to several major wildfires in the Southwest has resulted in new restrictions for vacationers in national forests and parks in New Mexico and Arizona.

Of the six national forests in Arizona, only Prescott, south of Flagstaff, is completely open.

In New Mexico, 70 percent of the 1.1-million-acre Lincoln National Forest near Alamogordo is closed. The Santa Fe National Forest is 30 percent closed. The three other national forests in the state are completely open.

National and state parks in Arizona and New Mexico are open. But fire restrictions are in effect there, as well as in the forests. Most open fires are banned.