Everything You Need To Know About Visiting Gwaii Haanas

Haida Gwaii is a remote archipelago of islands located 100km off the coast of Northern British Columbia in Canada, close to the border with Alaska. It is difficult to get to, expensive to explore, and it rains a lot there. So you may be wondering, why did I want to visit?

Because of Gwaii Haanas.

Gwaii Haanas (the full name is Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site) is an incredible place that is both astounding and unique for so many different reasons. It is truly like no other place on earth. 

It is a land of towering spruce and cedar, mountainous islands, windy beaches, abundant marine life, and centuries-old historic sites. There is very, very little development on the islands, and traveling through this pristine environment invokes feelings of being in a prehistoric land.

What Makes Gwaii Haanas So Special

The diversity of wildlife within Gwaii Haanas is seriously impressive and is what earned the islands of Haida Gwaii the title of the Galapagos of the North.

Gwaii Haanas is home to upwards of 20 species of whales and dolphins, it is teeming with birdlife including adorable tufted puffins, and there are bald eagles around every corner. It is also home to North America’s largest black bear subspecies, the Haida Gwaii black bear, which can only be found in Haida Gwaii.

This was reason enough to make the long trek here, but the historic cultural sites you can experience in Gwaii Haanas were the number one reason I wanted to visit.

Along with a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to poles that are hundreds of years old, there are numerous other former village sites with excellent examples of historic totem poles, remains of longhouses, and other important cultural artifacts and sites. And these sacred sites are protected in a unique and inspiring way. More on that below.

Brief History of the Haida and Gwaii Haanas

Haida Gwaii is the traditional territory of the Haida people and they have over a 14,000 year history in the islands. Before contact with Europeans, there were an estimated 30,000 Haida, but a large majority of the population died from smallpox and other introduced diseases in the 1800s, forcing the surviving Haida to move away from the smaller villages to just two main villages on Graham Island: Skidegate and Masset.

Former village sites were then overgrown by the lush temperate rainforest that covers the islands. There is little to no access to many of the old village sites these days but there are a few very worthy exceptions that can, and should, be visited – as long as you are willing to respect the sites and follow the rules. 

After seeing how logging was destroying the ancient forests of their island home, the Haida took a stand at Lyell Island in 1985, protesting and blockading logging efforts. And it worked – these protests led to the formation of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site. 

Gwaii Haanas has been cooperatively managed by The Council of the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada since 1993 through the Archipelago Management Board. Both parties agreed that there was an urgent need to protect the cultural sites and natural environment of the mostly undeveloped southern islands of Haida Gwaii, despite a difference in opinion over ownership of the land.

Today, the population of Haida Gwaii is at least 50% Haida, and the islands are one of the best places in North America, if not the world, to experience indigenous culture directly from the indigenous people who live there.

Gwaii Haanas Watchmen Program

There are five historic sites that are particularly sacred to the Haida and are allowed to be visited. These sites are under the guardianship of Watchmen. Along with protecting the sites from looting and vandalism, they also maintain the sites, welcome visitors, and even share stories and run tours of the site, although this is not officially their job.

The Haida Gwaii Watchmen program started in 1982 (it’s as old as me!) and is managed by the Council of the Haida Nation with support from Parks Canada. Between May and October, anyone with Haida heritage between the ages of 16 and 78 can apply to be a Watchman and live onsite at one of the five Watchmen sites. There are at least two Watchmen, and often three, per site.

Watchmen don’t actually have to be men either; women can also be Watchmen. It is a paid position and Watchmen can do anything from a two-week stint to a whole summer.  

The Five Gwaii Haanas Watchmen Sites

Here is a quick rundown of each of the five Watchmen Sites, all of which I was lucky enough to visit on my four-day Moresby Explorers Tour:

Ḵ’uuna Llnagaay (Skedans) – a historic village site on Louise Island. You can see a few carved memorial and mortuary poles still standing (and some that have fallen over) as well as depressions and some remains of a few longhouses. This is one of the most beautiful of the Watchmen sites in my opinion, with two scenic beaches. We saw orcas from shore here.

T’aanuu Llnagaay (Tanu) – a historic village site on Tanu Island. T’aanuu Llnagaay is a peaceful and atmospheric place with some remains of longhouses and house frontal poles. One of the Watchmen there when we visited had some excellent stories and information that he shared with us that definitely enhanced our visit even more.

Hlk’yah GawG̱a (Windy Bay) – home to the Legacy Pole, the first monumental pole raised in Gwaii Haanas in 130 years. Hlk’yah GawG̱a was an important site during Haida protests against logging on Lyell Island in 1985, as it housed protesters in a longhouse called “Looking Around and Blinking House”. You can see an absolutely massive Sitka Spruce a little further around the bay along with other impressively large old-growth trees.

Gandll K’in Gwaay.yaay (Hot Springs Island) – this small island is home to relaxing hot springs with incredible views over Juan Perez Sound. The source of the hot springs is unknown and they mysteriously drained in 2012, returning again in 2017. The island was too small to support a village but it was historically used as a food source and for its healing waters.

SG̱ang Gwaay Llnagaay (Ninstints) – the most well-preserved village site in Gwaii Haanas, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visiting remote SG̱ang Gwaay Llnagaay was the biggest highlight of my tour – you truly feel like you are in a sacred place at the end of the world. SG̱ang Gwaay Llnagaay is home to standing and fallen poles as well as house pits, and it is an ethereal and beautiful place.  

How To Be Respectful When Visiting Watchmen Sites

If you are visiting as part of a tour, your guide will clearly lay out the rules for Watchmen sites but here is a quick rundown:

• Don’t walk outside of the white shell pathway. These are sacred, historic sites and you don’t want to disturb or damage anything so it is important to always stay on the pathways.
• Don’t take photos of the Watchmen without their permission. Many Watchmen are not comfortable having their pictures taken and it is their right to refuse. 
• Don’t take anything from these sites including shells and rocks. These do not belong to you and if you want a souvenir, go to a gift shop.
• Listen when the Watchmen are speaking to you. Along with missing some interesting stories and facts, it is just plain rude to chat amongst yourselves – remember that it is a great privilege to be here.

Wildlife in Gwaii Haanas

As I mentioned under what makes Gwaii Haanas so special, Haida Gwaii is sometimes called the Galapagos of the North due to its diversity of wildlife.

There is no guarantee of what you will see but you are very likely to see seals, Stellar sea lions, fried egg jellyfish (once you see them you’ll know why they are called that), purple sea stars, numerous bald eagles and other marine birds, including oystercatchers, ancient murrelets, and guillemots. Tufted puffins also live in Gwaii Haanas, although we unfortunately didn’t get to see any.

Orcas, Minke whales, porpoises, and dolphins live in the waters of Gwaii Haanas year-round, so there is a good chance to see these species, and if you’re lucky you may also see grey whales and humpbacks (we were very lucky to see four humpbacks).

There is a unique subspecies of black bear that can only be found in Haida Gwaii – the Haida Gwaii black bear. It is the largest subspecies of black bear in the world and we saw a couple on the last day of our tour, hanging out with a bunch of deer in a grassy meadow near the shore.

As well as just being generally larger than your average black bear (I thought they were grizzlies when we first saw them – they are so big!), they also have larger jaws, skulls, and paws to help them eat crabs and shellfish, which is their primary diet (hence the deer not being scared of them). 

We also saw lots of deer (including tiny babies!), raccoons, and squirrels during our time in Gwaii Haanas.

How To Best Experience Gwaii Haanas

Unless you have your own boat (or have friends that do), there are only a handful of ways you can visit and experience Gwaii Haanas:

On a Day Trip

While it is possible to visit Gwaii Haanas on a long day trip from Daajing Giids or Sandspit, you will only get a chance to see a small fraction of it and probably only one, possibly two, Watchmen Sites – Ḵ’uuna Llnagaay and T’aanuu Llnagaay. If this is all you can afford or have time for, it is definitely still worthwhile, but it would be a shame not to spend more time in Gwaii Haanas if it is at all possible. You’ve come all this way after all.

On a Multi-Day Sailing Trip

There are a handful of companies that offer weeklong sailing trips in Gwaii Haanas, and while they look pretty dreamy, they are very, very expensive. Also not the best option if you are prone to seasickness as you will be on the ocean more than you will be on land.

On a Multi-Day Kayaking Trip

This is for the truly adventurous. You can join an organized multi-day kayaking trip in Gwaii Haanas, staying in remote campsites that have no facilities, and covering long distances in kayaks under your own steam. You can also do this independently if you are a very experienced kayaker who meets all of the requirements, but there is lots of planning involved with this.

On a Multi-Day Zodiac or Power Boat Trip

In my opinion, if you are able-bodied and like a bit of adventure, while also having the comfort of great food and a cozy bed, then this is the best option.

You can do a four-day trip covering the same distance as a weeklong sailing trip and still visit all of the Watchmen sites (if weather and scheduling permits). You are truly out in nature on the water – not tucked away inside a yacht, you get to stay in spacious accommodations with incredible meals, and it is much more affordable than a sailing trip.

Moresby Explorers is the only company that does multiday zodiac tours in Gwaii Haanas (they also do day trips) and I did their longest tour, which is four days.

The whole experience absolutely blew my mind and I was so impressed by the capabilities and friendliness of the staff, the food (oh, the FOOD!), all of the cultural and natural places we got to experience, the wildlife, the float lodge, and all of the fascinating information I learned from our engaging guide Casey and the Watchmen.

Even though we didn’t have the best weather for our trip, it is still one of my favorite travel experiences ever and I feel so lucky to have been able to visit this truly unique and beautiful place with a company that is committed to its conservation and protection. 

I am writing a detailed breakdown of what it is like to take one of these tours, so look out for that soon.