Gwaii Haanas – Reservations, Orientation and Fees

Reservations

Anyone who wants to go ashore within Gwaii Haanas must have a permit to do so with dates certain for entry and exit.  They must also attend an orientation session held at the Haida Heritage Centre near Skidegate.

During 2007, the number of these permits was controlled to maintain the total number of visitors within Gwaii Haanas at or below 300.   The majority of these permits are allocated to commercial tour groups – primarily kayak tours.  Hence, the number available for visiting boaters is limited.  So, a visiting sailor really does not want to arrive late at Skidegate Inlet. 

Given the significant distance that they must travel to arrive here, this requires careful trip planning – with a generous allowance for weather days.  If you do arrive late, there are six spaces kept available each day on a “first-come-first-served” basis.   So there is still hope – unless your party includes more than six people.  However, visitors entering with these permits must begin their trip within 24 hours.  We planned to arrive several days early, and used that time to explore the north island by rental car.

Reservations can be made by calling Super Natural British Columbia:

            1-800-HelloBC  (1-800-435-5622) in Canada or the United States;

            250-387-1642 elsewhere.

There is a $15 per person fee for making a reservation.  The dates can be changed, if needed, but with a $6 change fee. 

Orientation (and Registration)

All Gwaii Haanas visitors must attend an orientation session held at the Haida Heritage Centre near Skidegate.  During 2007, these were held at 9:30 am each day from Monday through Friday during June, daily from July 1 to August 13, and again on Monday though Friday from August 14 to September 7.   For repeat visitors, the orientation session is valid for three years.

Our session included useful material on weather, safety, the flora and fauna of the islands, the Watchmen Program and protocol for visiting these sites, and a brief history of Haida life in Gwaii Haanas.  We found it to be time well spent. At the conclusion of the orientation, the visitors complete their registration forms.

Fees

Daily fees are:

            Adults  $19.80

            Youth   $9.90

There is also a Senior rate, but it only applies to Canadian citizens. 

Most boaters will be staying within Gwaii Haanas long enough that it is better to purchase the Seasonal Pass:

            Adults  $118.85

            Youth   $59.40

Other useful web sites:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/gwaiihaanas/index_e.asp

The introductory page of the Parks Canada site devoted to Gwaii Haanas.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/gwaiihaanas/visit/index_e.asp

This page contains a 1.6 megabyte PDF file entitled “2007 Trip Planner”.   We found it very informative.  This page also includes useful links to weather, maps, tour operators, and more.

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=3661

This site contains a good overview of the Queen Charlotte Islands, with individual descriptions of the major geographic features, towns and villages.  

http://www.haidaheritagecentre.com/

This is the home page for the Haida Heritage Center at Qay’Llnagaay.  It also contains links that will be useful when planning a visit to Haida Gwaii or Gwaii Haanas.