Trip Highlights of Kayaking Gwaii Haanas
It took me the better part of 20 years to finally knock off a kayaking trip in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. It’s a phenomenal place to explore, especially between May and September when there’s actually a high probability of sunshine for days, if not weeks at a time.
Visit to experience nature and wilderness in a spiritual setting that the Haida people have lived in for over 14,000 years.
Gwaii Haanas kayaking trip over a week
Our one week kayaking trip took us from Rose Harbour to Burnaby Narrows, in the southern part of Gwaii Haanas National Park Preserve. It was a stand-out from start to finish.
For starters, the weather was sunny and hot except for the four hour boat ride down to Rose Harbour and an hour of rain on the last day. Considering this is where you find temperate rainforest, I think we all felt very lucky.
Also the wind was almost always light, so the ocean was calm which is an amazing occurrence for this part of the world. Granted there were swells on a couple of the days, but they were entirely manageable.
Food was delicious and the company – a mixed bag primarily from British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, was great.
Campsites were beautiful and the pace was such that on most days there was time for an afternoon siesta. Sounds fantastic doesn’t it?
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Where is Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve?
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve is located at the southern end of Haida Gwaii – formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands.
If you look at a map, you’ll find the islands off the coast of northern British Columbia near the southern edge of Alaska. They are a difficult place to visit so I think you need to go kayaking in Gwaii Haanas for at least a week.
How do you get to Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve?
First you must fly to Sandspit, a small town serviced by Air Canada or take a seven hour ferry ride from Prince Rupert to Skidegate. Then you must get to the boat launch, usually via a shuttle with Moresby Explorers. That’s via a well-traveled dirt logging road.
Then there’s a three to five hour boat ride down to Rose Harbour, depending on the logistics of the day for Moresby Explorers. The boat ride is exposed, cold and sometimes wet. It requires that you wear every piece of clothing you’ve brought. I wore seven layers. But it’s all worth it.
A look at the highlights of kayaking in the National Park Reserve
Note that if you want to do the kayaking trip in Gwaii Haanas self-guided, there is a mandatory 90 minute orientation. You can find more information on the Parks Canada website here.
Paddle to SGang Gwaay
The village of SGang Gwaay or Ninstints in English is a UNESCO site and a must visit island if you’re kayaking in Gwaii Haanas National Park Preserve.
Look for the remains of large, cedar longhouses, and carved mortuary and memorial poles, on a tour with Haida Gwaii Watchman.
The Haida Gwaii Watchman showcase Haida culture by telling the stories and sharing their knowledge of songs, dances, stories and traditional foods.
The Watchman, who do this as a seasonal job in summer, can be male or female and range in age from as young as 16 to over 75. Our group learned a lot from Natasha, our Watchman guide on the island.
Catch Burnaby Narrows at low tide
Burnaby Narrows has been called the Galapagos of the north. Time your paddle through the narrows to coincide with low tide so you can ooh and aah at colourful starfish, snails, giant plumose anemones, mussels, limpets, red turban snails – along with numerous other varieties whose names I don’t know.
Reportedly “there is more protein per square centimetre than anywhere else on earth!“
If you’re planning a trip to the area take a reference book with you so you can make sense of all that you’re seeing.
Revised and expanded in 2019, The Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life in the Pacific Northwestis the one you’ll want.
Hopefully you’ll still get a sense of the wonderful scenery that’s in store for you should you decide to go kayaking in Gwaii Haanas.
You don’t have to kayak either. There are “motherships” where you sleep on board and explore by day and there are single day and multi-day trips to visit the area arranged via Moresby Explorers as well.
Our trip was with Green Coast Kayaking, a great outfit though you do have to provide and cook a breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Further reading on paddling in British Columbia
Visit the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve website for more information.
- Powell Forest Canoe Route – The Full Experience
- 7 of the Best Places to go Kayaking in BC
- 3 of the Best Canoe Routes in British Columbia
- Kayaking to Ninstints on Anthony Island
- The Beautiful Bowron Lakes Canoe Circuit
Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.
It definitely looks worth the seven layers of clothes! What a beautiful place.
@Grace A very special part of the world that even National Geographic recommends visiting.
What natural beauty! The water looks like it was shimmering~
@Irene We were lucky to have shimmering water as the area is noted for rain and cloudy days – though every summer there’s a window and we caught it.
I have visited the temperate rain forest of southern Alaska, so I can’t believe you were so fortunate to have a string of sunny days. Your photos are wonderful, so I imagine that the real thing was truly superlative.
@Suzanne We so lucked out. Often in the summer there is a 1-2 week weather window of nothing but sunny skies.
This looks like an absolutely gorgeous trip. And it makes me even more homesick for the Pacific Northwest.
@Talon I used to live in Vancouver and we did a lot of weekend kayaking trips. In Calgary I don’t have the same opportunities so it was a treat to be out for a week – especially with great weather.
So beautiful, the colors are dazzling and that huge jellyfish is so colorful, lovely trip
@Noel This is one trip I’ll remember for a very long time.
This looks absolutely incredible! When you were describing how difficult it is to get there I was wondering why someone would go through all that 😉 Your photos explain exactly why someone would travel so far. What an adventure!
@Michelle Because of the difficulty in getting to the southern part of Haida Gwaii it’s really worth going for a week or more.
Wow Leigh! Your post makes me dream of home. I’m in the South West of Western Australia. There are lots of lovely delights here, but that moss covered Haida canoe does make me pine just a little. Stunning photos.
@Wanda Thank you so much. It’s a very special part of the world.
We’ve kayaked a couple of times and while in theory I think it’s lovely, calm and peaceful, but in practice I’m not a fan because I can’t move, I get too twitchy. 😉 That is one big jelly fish! Lovely photos.
@Patti I find I can paddle comfortably for about 3 hours at a time before needing a break. I love it for the areas I’m able to access and the peace & tranquility once there.
Wow! Your photos are fantastic!! I really enjoyed your post. So beautiful!
Thank you Marilyn. The weather certainly helped show off the beauty.
Leigh these are stunning photos. . .not sure about getting there as I am not a fan of small planes or boats, so guess this is another or your experiences that I will enjoy as an armchair traveler! What an incredible area. . .
@Jackie It doesn’t sound like you will make it here but there’s nothing wrong with being an armchair traveler. It is a phenomenal area in so many ways – with everything on a giant scale.
Great shots! They make me want to go there, and since my husband has never been to the west coast, he would LOVE to do the kayaking.
@Jane There are many ways to do a kayaking trip – with a guide without a mothership, on your own or via a mothership – which allows you to cover more ground. The area has a reputation for big seas and wind so we really lucked out.
So beautiful – and obviously worth the trip! Googling “mothership” now…
@gypsynester Motherships are the civilized way to go as you get a comfy bed and have a chance to cover more area. And if the weather turns bad, you’re protected inside. Definitely some benefits.
I am amazed by the enormous jellyfish and chubby starfish. Fascinating part of the world, and good to be off the grid.
@betsy It was a total treat to be off the grid and everything seems supersized because of the nutrients available in Haida Gwaii.
Absolutely stunning photos. I am not comfortable in a kayak (or canoe or small boat of any kind) so was glad to read I could explore the area in a “mothership”.
@Donna There are loads of mothership opportunities with lots of people on board feeling exactly the way yo do. Bluewater Adventures is one I saw motoring around.
I went with Bluewater Adventures in 2018, amazing trip and Bluewater are a fantastic company with great crews and long standing genuine relationships with locals and the Haida watchmen. Put this trip on your bucket list.
Wow! It looks even more beautiful than I expected. The giant jellyfish is amazing and the unfinished canoe sobering. Looks like an amazing trip. . . I’m glad to see there are options for the less-fit among us!
@Cindy It was an exceptional trip and an area well worth visiting. It’s only about a 2 hour flight from Vancouver and connections are great. I think you would really enjoy the cultural part of the trip as well.
You know me and my map “addiction”, Leigh! 🙂 So, I immediately got onto Google Maps to check out first where the Gwaii National Park was and to see how close I ever came to it – Prince George! I would probably follow your suggestion and fly vs the ferry ride. The jellyfish and star fish are amazing! Then seeing a humpback whale swimming by your campground. That is just off the charts! I’m with you on simple pleasures…i.e. throwing rocks and pebbles. Great post 🙂
@Mike It was a wonderful trip and such a treat to be unplugged for a week. The kayaking was great and we were just so lucky to have once incredible sunny day after another. Whatever were you doing in Prince George??