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Travelling
to the Queen Charlotte Islands
Transportation Services
Daily commercial
flights are scheduled from Vancouver to Sandspit. Regular service also
operates between Prince Rupert and points on the Islands. Other commercial
air services (including float planes and helicopters) are available at
Sandspit, Queen Charlotte and Masset. Please note that a 20- minute ferry
ride (fee charged) is necessary between Graham and Moresby Islands.
BC Ferries provides year-round service between the Queen Charlotte Islands
and Prince Rupert. From Prince Rupert, connections to Alaska and to southern
BC ferry routes can be made. Reservations should be made well in advance
1-888-223-3779. See
BC Ferries
To Gwaii
Haanas:
Travel plans
must be flexible in order to take into account delays caused by unfavourable
weather conditions. Adequate fuel, clothing, food and equipment are essential.
Take time to learn about the waters you intend to navigate. This area
has significant tidal variation, strong tidal currents and rapidly changing
weather. Strong winds can develop quickly and with little or no warning.
Filing a sail plan and contacting the Coast Guard.
Filing a
Sail Plan and contacting the Coast Guard:
In the past, the Coast Guard asked that everyone file a sail plan with
them. The Coast Guard now encourages you to file a sail plan with a trusted
family member or friend and if necessary, that person can contact the
Coast Guard on your behalf. If you don’t have anyone to leave a sail
plan with, the Coast Guard will accept one for you. Call collect at 1-250-627-3081.
Ensure
you close your sail plan with your family member or friend when you return,
or you may be held financially responsible for unnecessary search and
rescue costs incurred on your behalf. Contact the Coast Guard by VHF marine
radio (Channel 16 or 22A) or call them collect at the above number.
Marine
charts of Gwaii Haanas are available from the Canadian Hydrographic
Service Institute of Ocean Sciences, P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2
Phone: 1-250-363-6358 Fax: 1-250-363-681 Email: chartsales@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Topographic maps are available from Geological Data, Phone: 1-250-356-5263;
Geological Survey of Canada, Suite 101, 605 Robson Street, Vancouver,
BC, V6B 5J3 , Phone: 1-60-666-0271; Victoria Geo Services, Phone: 1-250-363-6500
and the BC Government Agent in Queen Charlotte. Maps and charts may also
be available at retail outlets in Sandspit and Queen Charlotte.
Tide
tables are essential for exploring Gwaii Haanas. Booklets published
annually by the Hydrographic Service provide instructions on the use of
tables to determine daily tides (time and height) for specific locations.
For the Queen Charlotte Islands you should obtain: Canadian Tide &
Current Tables Volume 6 (current year), "Barkley Sound and Discovery
Passage to Dixon Entrance" (available from Supply and Services Canada).
The "Coastal Pilot" also contains useful local information on
tides. For more detailed information, consult a knowledgeable local mariner
or the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Many visitors to Gwaii Haanas travel with organized tour groups. Commercial
operators offer services in Gwaii Haanas from May through September. Services
include guided tours, charter vessel services, passenger and cargo transport
between points. There is considerable range in the size, nature and price
of these services. It is advisable to make reservations well in advance
of your trip. Only licensed commercial operators may provide services
in Gwaii Haanas.
The boat launch facilities closest to Gwaii Haanas are at Moresby Camp
on Cumshewa Inlet. Moresby Camp is a private industrial site, accessible
by logging road. For detailed instructions on times and procedures for
travelling on logging roads, check with the Visitor Information Centre
in Sandspit or Queen Charlotte. Generally, when travelling from Sandspit
or the Alliford Bay ferry, you will be driving on active logging roads
that are safest to travel between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. or on weekends. Always
drive with your headlights on.
Visitors launching small boats or sea kayaks at Moresby Camp may choose
to travel the inside waters of Carmichael Passage and Dana Passage, south
to Gwaii Haanas and avoid the exposed waters between Cumshewa Head and
Porter Head on the Tangil Peninsula. Louise Narrows has strong currents,
so time your travel with the tides. It takes about two days, weather permitting,
to travel by kayak from Moresby Camp to the northern border of Gwaii Haanas
at Tangil penninsula.
For more
information on the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage
Site see Parks
Canada
Information
provided by Parks Canada
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