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- SGang Gwaay (Ninstints) — A UNESCO World Heritage Haida village site with blown-out cedar totems and the remains of longhouses perched among dramatic sea stacks. It’s haunting, beautiful, and one of the clearest places to feel the deep human history of the islands. (Personal favorite — the combination of totems, tide-scoured shorelines and huge sky stays with me.)
- Haida village sites and totem poles — Beyond SGang Gwaay there are multiple ancestral village ruins and carving sites scattered through Gwaii Haanas. The totems and house posts aren’t just photo ops; they’re storytelling carved into the landscape, often protected by Haida Watchmen who keep the sites respectful and alive.
- Sea stacks, skerries and the archipelago coastline — The landscape here is all edge: jagged rock pillars,
- SGang Gwaay (Ninstints) — A UNESCO World Heritage Haida village site with blown-out cedar totems and the remains of longhouses perched among dramatic sea stacks. It’s haunting, beautiful, and one of the clearest places to feel the deep human history of the islands. (Personal favorite — the combination of totems, tide-scoured shorelines and huge sky stays with me.)
- Haida village sites and totem poles — Beyond SGang Gwaay there are multiple ancestral village ruins and carving sites scattered through Gwaii Haanas. The totems and house posts aren’t just photo ops; they’re storytelling carved into the landscape, often protected by Haida Watchmen who keep the sites respectful and alive.
- Sea stacks, skerries and the archipelago coastline — The landscape here is all edge: jagged rock pillars, narrow channels and hidden coves. The sculpted sea stacks make every boat or kayak trip feel cinematic, and they’re hotspots for seals, cormorants and nesting seabirds.
- Temperate old-growth rainforest — Ancient Sitka spruce and western red cedar drape the islands in moss and fog. Trails (where they exist) wind through gigantic trunks and a thick understory — a real “primeval” feeling that’s rare and humbling.
- Rich marine wildlife — Humpback and transient orcas, porpoises, sea otters, harbour seals and huge flocks of seabirds are common. The marine protection around Gwaii Haanas concentrates life, so boat or kayak trips often turn into wildlife shows.
- Kayaking and boat routes — You can’t drive here, so getting around by sea is part of the magic. Paddling between islands gives you a front-row seat to cliffs, sea caves and wildlife, and lets you access quiet beaches and archaeological sites most visitors never see.
- Intertidal beaches & shell middens — Low tides expose rich rocky shores and ancient shell middens left by Haida harvests. They’re great for tide-pooling and for understanding the long relationship between people and sea in Haida Gwaii — just be careful to leave archaeological features undisturbed.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.