Arrival

Arrival

Plan to arrive at Sandspit Airport (YZP) on the northeast tip of Moresby Island the day before the first scheduled day of your trip. Sandspit offers a range of accommodation options, including a hotel, bed and breakfasts, and several Airbnbs. Explore Sandspit, walk the beach, where bald eagles dot the treetops along the shoreline.

Overnight: Sandspit

Meals: None

Day 1

Day 1

At approximately 7:30 AM, the Moresby Explorers will pick you up and drive the group by van to Moresby Camp, a small bay on Cumshuwa Inlet. There, you will board the Moresby Explorers' inflatable for the exhilarating 2½-hour trip along the coast of Moresby Island to our first camp on the northern shores of Juan Perez Sound. After settling into camp, there will be a sea kayaking orientation and an exploration of the area to try out new skills.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Lunch & Dinner

Dav 2

Dav 2

Setting off after an early breakfast, today we explore Ramsay, Faraday, and Murchison islands in Juan Perez Sound. These islands are remarkable for their importance to nesting seabirds in the region. 

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3

Day 3

Arriving at Gandll K'in Gwaay.yaay (Hotspring Island), we'll be greeted by a Haida Watchman and introduced to the history and current features of the island. After the warm water bathhouse, we will have the opportunity of soaking in the hot pools and enjoy the sweeping vista of Juan Perez sound and the peaks of the San Cristobal Range.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4

Day 4

Paddling south, we enter the Strait between Burnaby and Moresby Islands. With numerous small islands, coves, and bays to explore, this body of water is a delight to kayak. The scenery here is dominated by the presence of Yatza Mountian, an impressive peak that straddles Moresby Island, dropping into the Pacific on the west coast.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5

Day 5

This morning we set a course for Burnaby Strait and Dolomite Narrows (Burnaby Narrows). The profile of Yatza Mountain dominates the western skyline as we paddle the shoreline of Burnaby Island. Floating the narrows provides the unfolding colorful pageant of this biological wonder at close quarters.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6

Day 6

Skinkuttle Inlet opens into Hecate Strait and was one of the most populated areas of the south island in ancient times. Numerous village sites, some of significant size, dotted the shores of the inlet. Now, the most vivid evidence of habitation is the white midden shell beaches, the result of countless years of shellfish harvesting from these bountiful waters.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7

Day 7

Today we will continue south across Collison Bay, the site of one of the earliest European settlements on the islands. Paddling on, we round Goodwin Point and past the Rankine Islands, an ecological reserve and sea bird nesting site toward our campsite, the old village site of Kaidju at Benjamin Point. A short walk across the point from the protected north cove leads to a remarkable view of the point's winter storm battered south shore.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8

Day 8

Rounding Benjamin Point, we get our first view of Kunghit Island. As we swing into Houston Stewart Channel, we enter a narrow passageway from Hecate Strait to the Pacific and paddle into the territory of the Kunghit Haida and their last chief: Ninstints. Our camp is on Ross Island.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9

Day 9

Riding the tide through the remainder of Houston Stewart, we get an expanding view of the Pacific, and finally, Anthony Island comes into view to the west. After rounding the southern tip of Moresby Island through Cape Fanny, we head toward our camp tonight at Louscoone Point, an ideal jumping-off spot for our visit to the ancient village of SGang Gwaay.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10

Day 10

A short but dramatic paddle takes us past Adam Rocks and into the protected cove on the west side of the island. Entering the old village, one can't help but be moved by the haunting majesty of the standing poles. We will spend as much time as possible exploring the village and have a visit with the Haida Watchmen (the Haida caretakers of the ancient sites in the park which are well known for extending legendary Haida hospitality) before setting out for Raspberry Cove.

Overnight: Camping

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 11

Day 11

The final day of our Haida Gwaii kayaking adventure — a leisurely morning on Ross Island, as we pack up our personal gear and await the arrival of Moresby Explorers. The return trip is scheduled to have the trip participants back in Sandspit by very late afternoon or early evening.

Overnight: Sandspit

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

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