Outdoor adventure travel : Enviro & cultural tourism
Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada

The Queen Charlottes is a haven for active individuals interested in exploring the outdoors on foot, by bike, by kayak, by car or aboard a recreational motor boat or sailboat. The rich forests, the endless ocean views, the rugged wilderness trails and the kilometres on kilometres of sandy beaches has made the Queen Charlotte Islands a remote adventure getaway visited by many ever year.

The forests are thick in many areas around some of the main trails and parks... and there are many. A lot of the parks we explored, we explored by ourselves... with not one soul in sight. It was bliss. The trails, led to viewpoints, beaches, bogs, marshes, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Anyone who likes to explore by foot will enjoy the islands.

Some arrive to the islands to partake in one of the wild adventures offered by the guiding and touring groups operating from the region including fishing charters, whale and wildlife watching tours, kayaking adventures, and much more.

Many arrive to the islands with their own adventure gear in tow like a kayak, canoe, mountain bike, backpack, row boat, fishing gear and even binoculars for bird watching.

Because of the lack of publicity of the trail systems located on the Charlottes, there are a few backpacking gems still left in a rugged natural state (non commercialized) that are worth exploring. Backpackers understand that any trail system with days of wilderness scenery, staying in wilderness camps, with a big smile on your face are worth pointing out. So make note of the East Beach Trail and the Cape Fife Trail.

The islands are covered in many little parks, shorter trails and some very large parks. Some of the smaller parks are centred around wildlife like the Delkatla Wildlife Sanctuary and others around history and tradition like the Golden Spruce Trail. The larger parks on the Queen Charlotte Islands like Naikoon Provincial Park and the Gwaii Haanas are protecting sensitive eco areas, bogs, old growth forest and wildlife.

The scenery is spell binding, the wildlife plentiful, the people friendly... but because the Charlottes are fronting the Pacific Ocean there are raining seasons which are not suited for all activities. Just remember there are seasons best suited for outdoor exploring and there are seasons for storm watching, beach combing and mud hiking with gale force winds. Both are exciting and thrilling... just be prepared EH!