Budget Travel to Gwaii Haanas National Park

One of the most remote National Parks in Canada makes up a huge part of an archipelago of islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia. The islands are the Haida Gwaii, and the park is Gwaii Haanas – a hauntingly beautiful and sacred place to the Haida people.

Visiting the islands themselves is a bit of a challenge, and visiting the park requires even more planning. Here are some hints to help you visit Gwaii Haanas on a budget.

Getting to Gwaii Haanas

The fact that the Haida Gwaii are islands means that your choices for getting to the islands and the park are more limited – you’ll either need to fly or take a ferry. There are two small airports on the islands, and one main ferry terminal. Once you’ve reached the islands, however, you’ll need to make further arrangements to actually visit the Gwaii Haanas park itself. Because it’s a sacred place, travel within the park is strictly regulated by the Haida people.

>> Not already in BC? Your best bet is to look for cheap airfare to Vancouver first, and fly to Haida Gwaii or drive up to Prince Rupert from there.

Flying to Haida Gwaii
You have two airports to choose from if you’re flying from the BC mainland – both airports are small enough that they only have regular flights from Vancouver, Calgary, and (sometimes) Prince Rupert. Both are also primarily served by small charter airlines rather than major airlines – Air Canada Jazz is the only airline that’s large enough to have name recognition for most people, and it only flies to one of the two Haida Gwaii airports.

• Sandspit Airport (YZP) – You can fly to Sandspit from Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Grand Prairie, or Calgary. Depending on where you’re coming from, you may fly on a regular plane (such as on Air Canada Jazz from Vancouver) or a seaplane (such as from Prince Rupert).
• Masset Airport (ZMT) – Masset’s airport connects with Vancouver and Prince Rupert, and like Sandspit can be reached either by regular planes or seaplanes.

Taking a Ferry to Haida Gwaii
There’s a BC Ferries terminal at Skidegate, and there’s regular service with the Canadian mainland at Prince Rupert during the summer. From September through March the schedule is more variable, with only a few crossings per week at the most. The weather plays a strong role in the schedule year-round, and especially so when it’s not summer – the water is choppy even during good weather.

Ferries typically leave from Prince Rupert at 11am or 10pm – arriving in Skidegate at 6pm or 6am respectively. For overnight crossings you can book a sleeping berth, but you can also save money by simply sleeping in a chair in the main part of the ship. Many people bring sleeping bags (they’re also planning to use them camping on Haida Gwaii, so it’s not just for the ferry trip) and spread them out in the open spaces between chairs to get some sleep, too, which is completely okay and definitely budget-friendly.

A regular fare for an adult on the ferry is $41CAD during the high season (May-September), and $34CAD during the off-peak crossings. You’ll pay more if you’re driving a car or motorhome or bringing a bike on board, so be sure to check on all the associated fees for your situation.

>> Check out your options at the BC Ferries site

Getting to Gwaii Haanas
So, you’ve made it to Haida Gwaii, now what? The Gwaii Haanas, as mentioned, enforces strict regulations about who can go in and out of the area and how long they can stay. This means there are only a few options when it comes to getting into the park, and they’re almost all guided tours.

If you’ve got a kayak or a boat at your disposal and you know the area, you can take your own trip through Gwaii Haanas (after an orientation by the park service, that is), but most people opt for a guided tour. Tours run from a few hours to several days in length, and are either done via seaplanes or boats. Most of the boat trips are multi-day adventures that include the trip itself, lodging along the way, and meals. It’s all very rustic, including the lodging (there’s very little in the way of visitor accommodation in the park itself).

There’s a list of licensed tour operators on the official Gwaii Haanas site, and these are the only companies that are authorized to provide guided tours of the park. Once on site in the ancient Haida villages and burial sites, there are usually Haida caretakers to act as tour guides.

>> Look for licensed tour operators on the official Gwaii Haanas site

Finding Cheap Accommodation on Haida Gwaii

As mentioned, the accommodation options within the Gwaii Haanas park are strictly limited, and there aren’t any services within the park (such as to refuel a boat or shop for food). This is yet another reason why most people who take trips into the park itself plan to go with a guided tour group – then, if it’s a multi-day adventure, the tour company is taking care of your lodging and food as well as transportation.

Outside the park, however, there are towns in the northern part of the Haida Gwaii with normal accommodation options as well as services like restaurants, shops, and gas stations. There are a few motels, lots of B&Bs, and some rental properties, but the most budget-friendly accommodation on the islands is camping. Many people bring camping trailers or gear on the ferry and spend their entire trip without even going into the Gwaii Haanas park – the northern part of the islands provides plenty of activities and natural beauty.

Accommodation may be standard, but it’s also primarily rustic and not extremely plentiful. During the high season, you’d be smart to book ahead. Also note that if you don’t have a car, you need to make sure your lodging is in one of the towns on the islands.

Getting Around on Haida Gwaii

You’ll either need to rent a car on Haida Gwaii or drive your own car over on the ferry – there’s no public transportation to speak of on the islands, and in fact hitchhiking is the main way to get around if you don’t have your own vehicle.

There’s a main road that runs roughly from the northern border of the Gwaii Haanas park up to Masset in the northern part of the islands, and there are logging roads running through the forests and hills. It’s highly recommended that you either stick to the main roads or make sure you know your way around before you get too far off the track.

The good news is that it doesn’t take terribly long to drive from Skidegate to Masset, so you can have dinner in one and sleep in the other – just make sure you’re taking it easy on those curves, because the islands are full of all sorts of animals that like to come out when it’s hardest to see them.

>> For more information, check out the official Gwaii Haanas website.

photo by anoldent