Trip Planning

Planning your kayak trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands? Here is some helpful information for you and your group.

Decide how much time you have. More is better ...except in the rainy season! For a trip into Gwaii Haanas we suggest planning for a week or more of paddling.

The wind direction will vary day to day, as we do not have any prevailing winds during the summer months. Don't worry about paddling against the prevailing winds when planning your route, since whatever direction you paddle you are likely to have the wind with you on some days, and against you on others. When low pressure systems move in, South to Southeast winds dominate backing to Southwest or Northwest. When high pressure systems set in, winds generally go to the Northwest and increase during the day, easing in the evening. Inlets and other waterways will generate their own local winds.

Decide which area is your priority, be it Haida sites, Burnaby Narrows, or Hot Springs. For many people, Ninstints (Skaang Gwaii or Anthony Island) is high on the list of places to see. If you want to visit Ninstints you need to get to the south end of Moresby Island, and should consider starting or finishing your trip at Rose Harbour. We recommend paddling to Ninstints only if your group has some experience, or has a strong leader to guide you through the more exposed waters. To paddle from Ninstints to the north edge of the park is a good two weeks paddle for the average paddler. The outside waters from Houston Stewart Channel to Skincuttle Inlet are very exposed to SE and NW winds. Large tides over shallow reefs can create standing wave conditions and large seas can generate rebounds resulting in confused seas. Timing your paddling to coincide with tides and weather is important. This is true of most east coast points and headlands in the South Moresby area.

If you would like a more sheltered paddle, then a trip from Skincuttle Inlet through Burnaby Narrows to Hot Springs and up to Tanu village is a good one week to ten day paddle. Once you get to Hot Springs you can opt to go up the east side of Lyell Island and visit Windy Bay, or choose the more sheltered route up Darwin Sound on the west side of Lyell.

For those who are travelling on a budget or have a shorter time frame, we recommend circumnavigating Lyell Island from a dropoff/pick-up point at Kunga Island near Tanu. Which way you start would depend on the weather forecast; with moderate winds from the North we would recommend heading down the east side of Lyell. In South/SE conditions heading down Darwin Sound towards Hot Springs might be the best option. We provide a special transport rate to renters starting and finishing their trip at the northern edge of the park (Tanu/Kunga area).

We start all of our transport runs at 7:30 am from Sandspit, and we can also pick you up off the first ferry coming over from the Graham Island side. The time spent in the boat will depend on how far south you are going (it takes as long as 5 hours to reach Rose Harbour, our most southerly drop point). Remember that it is a cold ride in the open Zodiac, so wear lots of warm clothes. On the day that you are scheduled for pick-up, our boat is often dropping off other paddlers further south before returning for you. You may be picked up late in the afternoon and arrive back in Sandspit quite late. Be sure to arrange your accommodations for that night in advance, and don't plan to fly/ferry out on the day of your pickup.

The red tape. First phone Super Natural BC (1 800 HELLO BC) (from overseas 250- 387-1642) and make a reservation for Gwaii Haanas National Park-Reserve as spaces are limited. The system opens (usually) Feb 01. It will cost you $15 per person or a group fee of $60 to book. They may also collect the user fee at this time. Six walk in spaces are made available daily for those that don't have reservations. Fees are subject to change.

They will ask you when you would like do the mandatory Orientation session. Anybody who hasn't done the orientation in the last three years must do it. If you will be in Queen Charlotte/Skidegate area (Graham Island) you can take the orientation at the Parks office in Skidegate. If you are staying in Sandspit, you can take the orientation free of charge at our office (Moresby Explorers, 365 Beach Rd., Sandspit). Please be sure to book the orientation in advance.

There are two options on how to get to the islands:

By ferry:
You can drive to Prince George and on to Prince Rupert, then take a 6 hour ferry ride to Skidegate Landing. From Vancouver it is about 10 hours to Prince George and another 9 to Prince Rupert. Click the BC Ferries Link for information on schedules and rates.

The other driving alternative is to catch a ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, drive 5 hours from Nanaimo to Port Hardy, then catch the 15 hour ferry to Prince Rupert and the 6 hour ferry to Skidegate Landing. As this is a popular trip in the summer, be sure to book well in advance.

The ferry for Moresby Island departs about 100 ft from the Prince Rupert ferry. The ferry lands at Alliford Bay, 8 miles west of Sandspit. There is a phone at Alliford Bay but it is advisable to make taxi and other arrangements in advance from Skidegate Landing.
If you're not bringing a kayak or you have a folding kayak then the other option is to fly. During the summer there are usually 2 flights a day from Vancouver to Sandspit. Click the Air Canada Link to check fares and schedules.

Camping Stoves on Air Canada Jazz ....Fuel Tanks / Cells

Not Accepted as checked or carry-on baggage
- camping gas
- filled propane cylinders

Accepted as checked baggage only:
- a new camping stove in the original, un-opened package.
- used camping stoves with the re-fillable tanks / fuel cells only under the following conditions:
  - If tank, fuel carrier or fuel cell can be detached from the stove, the check-in agent must visually confirm fuel cylinder has been removed.
  - The fuel tank or container must be drained of its fuel and rinsed with a neutralizing agent such as cooking oil to elevate the flash point of any residue liguid above that which is considered a flammable liquid. The fuel cell must then be completely emptied!
    The check-in agent must question passenger as to the steps passenger has taken to ensure this. AND
  - The fuel tank, and/or container must then have the cap securely fastened & be wrapped in an absorbent material such as paper towel & placed in a polythylene or equivalent bag. The top of the bag must then be sealed or gathered & closed with an elastic band or twine.
    Check-in agent must visually confirm the above.
Please Note.
Stoves can still be mailed to us if you wish. Otherwise, this is a positive step by Air Canada Jazz so please comply and don't try to sneak stoves on the plane. When you get caught it just reflects poorly on other campers/kayakers coming through.

What to bring? Sandspit has a good grocery store, usually open from 9:30am to 6pm Mon to Sat, and short hours on Sunday. They have a reasonable selection but it is quite a bit more expensive than Vancouver. Fresh produce comes in once a week - selection and freshness decrease through the week. Specialty items might not be available. You can call them at (250) 637-2249 if you wish to check their stock.

Camping in the park is generally unrestricted and will remain so if we look after the sites. No camping is allowed at Skedans, Tanu, Hot Springs, in the vicinity of Burnaby Narrows, or on Anthony Island. Several ecological reserves are off limit also. This information will be included in the Orientation. There are lots of good sites throughout the area.

Water is generally available on Moresby Island but can be scarce out on the smaller islands. Look for the small creeks on the charts, usually there will be water but you may have to walk up the creek a bit. Whether you filter, boil or just drink the water is your choice. I have always taken my chances: you make your own decision.

When you arrive on island CONTACT US to confirm your arrangements.

Now we're ready to go. Moresby Explorers Ltd will pick you up at your B&B about 7:30am, weather permitting, and drive for an hour to Moresby Camp at the head of Cumshewa Inlet. Here we load the gear into our Zodiacs and head south. Enjoy!!

For further information on rentals, transport or just some local knowledge to help plan your trip don't hesitate to