Beachcombing on Haida Gwaii, Canada.
British Columbia, Canada. (Queen Charlotte Islands)

Beachcombing is the act of exploring sandy and pebbled beaches for as long as you want. The Charlottes is lucky to have so many beautiful beachfront's fitting that exact purpose. The beaches located throughout the archipelago range from small coves to miles of endless coastline covered in fine sand. Some are accessed by car, boat or floatplane while others require a short walk or take days to explore while backpacking and wilderness camping.

Each Haida Gwaii beach offers a different experience. Some are consisting of fine sand others are rocky and pebbled. Many times the beach is totally deserted, null of humans, and other times there is company.

All day visits to a beach should include good outdoor gear (protect from possible rain, wind), drinking water and binoculars / camera. Exploring a Queen Charlotte Island beach might involve spotting some wildlife like whales spouting off the coastline, Bald Eagles nesting in a tree or running into some Sitka Deer.

Some beaches have trails leading to the coastline. Walks range from 15 minutes to 2 hours one way. Some like Misty Meadows and Tow Hill Trail are short and easy grade walking trails leading to beaches which offer beautiful coastline scenery. Some like, North Beach are massive beaches with piles of driftwood lining the coast and others like Agate Beach are short beach walks with people searching the shoreline for agate rock.

Some waterfront beaches are enjoyed year round. Some beaches are premium destinations during the storm season capturing the monster waves crashing the shores and the high winds throwing logs in the air.

Most of the Queen Charlotte Islands longer hikes encounter sandy beaches and take 2 - 6 days to complete. The longer beach hikes require planning and a good knowledge of tides and weather patterns. Equipment should be prime and navigation abilities sharp. Longer hikes like the East Beach Trail follow private massive sandy beaches or, take the Cape Fife Trail which leads to rocky cliff viewpoints and more sandy beaches.