| Agate Beach,
Naikoon Provincial Park: Many come to visit this
vast rocky, sandy beach to browse and identify various rocks,
stones and pebbles while exploring up and down the shores. The
salty moist breeze, the miles of sand and rock, the rhythm of
the waves, the rolling of the rocks and the squawk of the seabirds
makes for a great day exploring when visiting Agate Beach.
The stones, pebbles and rocks on Agate
Beach are plentiful, come in all sizes, are multi-colored,
many are round and smooth from many years of exposure to the west
coast winds and powerful oceans. The waves come crashing down
onto the shoreline, raking stones back and forth, up and down
the beach creating beautiful music polishing stones. High tides
have pushed the rocks far inland forming a coastline ridge of
rock and driftwood.
Many arrive at Agate Beach to
find agate rock. A hard task for most is to pick an agate rock
out from the millions of beautiful coloured rocks spilled over
the beach. Agate colour varies too - from a clear-white, to yellowish-amber,
greens and red. The same colours as many other rocks too. The
trick is is to find an irregularly shaped stone, translucent with
pock marks.
Agate is created from solutions of silica at relatively
shallow depths and low temperatures. It is a rock that is sensitive
to the physical and chemical conditions surrounding it. It is
associated with the opal. Fossilization, soil formation, and alteration
of existing rock can all create agate. A pretty rock when polished
and often used in jewelry.
How
to Get to Agate Beach: Drive
north on Hwy 16 from Skidegate BC Ferry towards Masset Village.
Continue north-east of Masset Village on the main hwy over the
Sangan River into the Tow Hill area deeper into the Naikoon
Provincial Park. The paved road turns to gravel (Tow Hill
Road). Continue straight ahead (20-25 min.) until the Agate Beach
Campground sign appears on your left. Park here and walk to beach.
|
Agate
Beach 
Masset Village