Purple, overcast sky over a rocky shore at sunset in Haida Gwaii, Canada.

10 Things to Know Before Visiting Haida Gwaii – the islands of the people

In this post, I share my top 10 Haida Gwaii travel tips. These are things to consider to help you make the most of your time on “the islands of the people”. From transportation, to how long you need and where to stay, here’s 10 things worth considering before you visit Canada’s most isolated islands.

About 50 to 150 kilometers off the northwestern coast of British Columbia lies a cluster of islands that are the most isolated from the rest of the country. Separated from mainland Canada by one of the most violent bodies of water (Hecate Strait) to its east, bordering the Alaskan panhandle to its north and with the Pacific to its west, the archipelago of Haida Gwaii is truly a unique region – in its ecology, beauty, and the culture of the Haida Nation.

A lady stands on a rock facing the water in Haida Gwaii with Tree Island in the background. — Tree Island, Haida Gwaii

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Top 10 Haida Gwaii Travel Tips

Why Visit Haida Gwaii?

After nearly two years since my last flight, I booked my first trip since the start of the pandemic. At the time, the Canadian government had travel advisories for all non-essential travel out of the country. I therefore limited my search to domestic flights. Nevertheless, I wanted my first destination to meet a very specific (and grand) set of criteria. I wanted to encounter wildlife that I wouldn’t be able to see at home in Toronto. Lastly, I wanted to be immersed in a culture that was foreign to me. Admittedly, I thought meeting that last criteria would be a challenge since I grew up in Canada.

Amazingly, I found a place that met all of my criteria in the most isolated islands in the country. With a nickname like “the Galapagos of the North” or “Canadian Galapagos”, Haida Gwaii felt worlds away from Toronto. Its remoteness and exposure to weather systems from the Pacific and the Gulf of Alaska moderates Haida Gwaii’s climate. This gives Haida Gwaii a unique biocultural zone with many endemic plants and animals.

Development within the last four decades has made Haida Gwaii easier to access. Even so, it is still quite difficult to reach Haida Gwaii. This fact and with considerable effort from the Haida Nation (along with other residents and off-island groups) has preserved much of the islands’ wild beauty. This mysterious and rugged appeal is the major draw for intrepid travelers in the know.

Take the Haida Gwaii Pledge

In a post offering Haida Gwaii travel tips, I would like to rank this tip as the most important one.

Haida Gwaii translates to “the islands of the people”. It is the heartland of the Haida Nation. The Haida make up approximately half the population on the islands. They have lived on there for 13,000 years and exercise their sovereignty over the islands through the Council of the Haida Nation – their elected, acting government. The Haida Nation is engaged in a title dispute regarding Haida Gwaii and its surrounding waters as the Crown never legally acquired title to these lands. No treaties between the Crown and the Haida governments were ever signed.

The Council of the Haida Nation pass legislation and manage human activities on Haida Gwaii. This includes making formal agreements with the Canadian communities established on the islands. Protection of land and water and functioning ecosystems are of utmost importance to the Council and Haida culture in general.

In this spirit, visitors to Haida Gwaii are encouraged to take the Haida Gwaii Pledge.

The Pledge was created to help visitors understand how to respect and care for Haida Gwaii. By raising awareness, the hope is that guests will make a more conscious effort to protect the air, ocean, lands and people while visiting the Haida Territories.

There Are Two Main Islands

As a local put it:

“[T]hink of Haida Gwaii as village of 4,200 [people] who live in seven neighbourhoods spread up and down the islands. The ocean and forest are our larder, the ferries our connection to the mainland, and the ferry lineup is where we socialize”.

There are two main islands – Graham Island and Moresby Island. Most amenities will be found on Graham Island. Most visitors stay here. The Sandspit Airport and Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area, and Haida Heritage Site are found on Moresby Island.

Haida Gwaii is (geographically) HUGE. You would need a mode of transportation to get around. Depending on what you want to do, choosing which “neighbourhood” to stay in can affect your experience.

The largest communities on the islands are:

Sandspit – located on the northeastern tip of Moresby Island, it is the only town on Moresby Island. Sandspit has accommodations, a campground, supermarket and 85-berth harbour serving visitors to Gwaii Haanas. Sandspit Airport is located here (with daily flights to Vancouver) as well as Alliford Bay ferry terminal.
Daajing Giids (pronounced DAW-jing GEEDS; formerly Queen Charlotte) – located on the southern end of Graham Island. This village offers several motels, shops, restaurants, a gas station and auto repair, a credit union, RCMP station and a hospital. It is also the location of the Daajing Giids Visitor Centre. With its small harbour, Daajing Giids is often the starting-point for chartered tours into Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site.
Skidegate – located on the southeast end of Graham Island. It is a Haida community located on Skidegate Indian Reserve No. 1. The ferry terminal is located here. Skidegate is home to a number of totem poles as well as the Haida Heritage Centre.
Massett – located on the northern coast of Graham Island. On a clear day, you can see Alaska from here! Masset is known for its hiking trails, beaches, birdwatching opportunities and access to Naikoon Provincial Park.

Best Time to Visit

While visitors are welcome all-year round, high tourist season is between July and August. Typically, I prefer to go to places during shoulder season to avoid crowds. Haida Gwaii may be the one exception to this rule.

Firstly, Haida Gwaii doesn’t get too crowded in the way other popular tourist destinations get crowded. Secondly, more restaurants and shops would be opened during this time (when I visited in early September, many business owners closed shop for the week for some much needed rest). Lastly, while the waters around Haida Gwaii can be treacherous at any time of the year, there is a greater chance of milder days during the high tourist season. Excursions (especially out to Gwaii Haanas which has no road access) are dependent on calmer waters. So if you really want to make it out to SG̱ang Gwaay – a UNESCO protected world heritage site in the heart of Gwaii Haanas, best bet is to go during this time.

May to July would see 18 to 20 hours of sunlight (although things tend to close early on the islands).

If you’re coming to Haida Gwaii for whale watching:

orcas frequent the area year-round,
humpback whales arrive in February staying until the fall, and
gray whales visit from March to June

A lady looks down upon a valley from the top a mountain. — Top of Mount Genevieve looking down at Daajing Giids and Hecate Strait.

The Ferries Are Haida Gwaii’s Only Connection to the Mainland

Whether you drove from Prince Rupert or flew in from Vancouver International Airport to Sandspit Airport, the vast majority of people will arrive at Graham Island on a ferry.

The ferry from Prince Rupert is an eight hour journey that requires pre-booking.

If you are coming to Graham Island via Moresby Island, your fare cannot be pre-booked. Boats leave almost every hour, every day of the week (with a more limited service on days when hazardous materials need to be transported). The ferry takes around 30 minutes to arrive at Graham Island.

As many things have to be transported into the islands by boat, expect there to be a markup on food and personal care products.

A line up of cars for a ferry. — Lineup for the ferry to Graham Island (Skidegate)

A lady's reflection reflects back from a billboard. — Lineup for the ferry to Graham Island (Skidegate)

There Is No Public Transportation

There is no public transportation on the islands but most communities have taxi service. The downside to this is mobile service can be spotty in certain parts of the island, so calling a taxi might be a challenge depending on where you want to be picked up.

There are car rental places throughout the island and having your own car would definitely maximize your time on Haida Gwaii. If you plan on going this route, I would recommend booking months in advance as I hard a very hard time finding a place with availability once I was there.

As a last resort, there are many places that rent out scooters and bikes. To rent a scooter, you need to be at least 19 years of age and have a driver’s license. Word of caution though – do not take a scooter through the logging roads. The rough terrain could leave you stranded with a popped tire.

While I didn’t try it myself, hitchhiking sounded quite common and safe on the Islands. As a local put it, you don’t end up on Haida Gwaii by accident, it is a close-knit community and there isn’t very many places for serial killers to hide!

A lady with a helmet practices riding a scooter on a parking lot.

Safety on the Logging Roads

This tip is pretty niche but I don’t think you can make a post about Haida Gwaii travel tips without mentioning it. There is roughly 140 km of paved road on Graham Island and an extensive network of unpaved roads. So while you can avoid logging roads altogether, I think there are safety tips worth mentioning here:

Day or night – turn your light on! This increases your visibility on forest roads that aren’t built to same standards as public highways.
Stay alert! Industrial activities on these roads mean constant changing conditions.
Give logging trucks (and other industrial traffic) the right-of-way. They can’t maneuver in the same way personal vehicles can.
Before you go, let someone know where you’re going and when you expect to return. And if you do get stranded, stay with your vehicle.

A lady walks along the yellow line that divides a highway.

How Long Should You Stay in Haida Gwaii?

Regardless of where you’re coming from, it does take considerable effort and time to get to Haida Gwaii. So regardless of your travel style, I recommend spending AT LEAST a couple nights on the islands. The islands have an ethereal atmosphere about them that I can’t really explain. I think this can be best experienced just by observing without expectations or itineraries.

If you want to experience the cultural treasures found only in Haida Gwaii, I would allocate a week on your itinerary. Even if you book a tour of Gwaii Haanas, the weather dictates what day you get to go. So I recommend anticipating that you may have to move stuff around if you have non-negotiables on your itinerary.

A woman in a green kayak looks up at Mount Genevieve from Hecate Strait in Haida Gwaii.

Dramatic Shifts in Weather

“Where’s your rain gear?” was a common question I heard as I made my way through the different towns in Haida Gwaii.

Unlike the rest of Canada, it doesn’t get frigid on Haida Gwaii. But it also doesn’t get too warm either. When planning your visit to Haida Gwaii, I would pack for all seasons. Don’t forget your rain gear!

A woman smiles at a camera as rain droplets are visible on her scooter and helmet. — Context: I was wearing waterproof jacket, hiking pants and sneakers whenever I was asked about my rain gear. To this day, I have no idea what Haida Gwaii locals accept as “rain gear”.

Book Things MONTHS Ahead of Time

As with any new destination, I made a rough list of things I wanted to do while I was in Haida Gwaii. Top of my list was visiting Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area, and Haida Heritage Site. I didn’t book anything ahead of time (besides accommodations), thinking I can rent a car and drive myself to this national park with a World Heritage site.

This was a mistake.

There are no maintained roads or public developments in Gwaii Haanas. It is only accessible by boat or seaplane. On top of that, I learned that you need to under go a 90 minute orientation and get permits to access the ancient Haida villages in Gwaii Haanas. These lands are sacred to the Haida as many of the ancient poles still standing are mortuary poles. Mortuary poles are erected to honour the dead. Many entomb community leaders in their enclosures at the top. In addition, protection of the land and sea are central to the Haida culture. The Gwaii Haanas office in Skidegate typically need 48 hours notice if you intend on getting a permit to Gwaii Haanas.

Moral of the Story: Haida Gwaii is a very special place that commands respect. As with any masterpiece, she cannot be rushed. If you want to follow an itinerary, plan and book your trip at least six months ahead. You definitely can’t be spontaneous to avoid disappointment. While this rounds up my Haida Gwaii travel tips, I cannot stress this tip enough.