Haida Gwaii: Cycling the Edge of the World

The best biking on Haida Gwaii isn’t on-road or on-trail – it’s on the beach. North Beach stretches out along the northwest coast of Graham Island, at the very top of Haida Gwaii. When the tide goes out, a long, hardpack sand spit appears. Rose Spit is the birthplace of the Haida Nation, the place where the mythical trickster raven discovered humans trapped in a clamshell and set them free from captivity. At low tide, you can take a mountain or fat bike more than 10 km into the North Pacific and trace zigzags along the stretch of land. It’s just one of the pure-bliss moments you’ll have cycling on Haida Gwaii.

Haida Gwaii is an archipelago 90 km off the north coast of B.C. For thousands of years (some research indicates human activity here almost 14,000 years ago), the Haida people have hunted and fished on the islands. Plentiful food sources enabled the development of rich artistic and cultural traditions: Haida totem poles, canoes and argillite (black slate) carvings are celebrated around the world. First visited by European colonizers in the 1770s, the islands’ population was decimated by smallpox in the 1860s. The Lyell Island protests in the 1980s, which pitted island residents against loggers and Western Forest Products, drew the world’s gaze to the area, and led to the establishment of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, and renewed efforts by the Council of the Haida Nation toward cultural repatriation, environmental protection and self-government.

“I was interested in Haida Gwaii for its cultural history and natural beauty,” says Ros Doak, a Vancouver-based nursing student who toured the island with her friend Daphne Austin in summer 2019. “The flat cruisey road out of Skidegate was beautiful. With the sun out and ocean views, it was hard not to feel immediately relaxed. Exploring Old Massett by bike and being able to pop into different galleries and carving shops was great.” Austin’s favourite part was being exposed to things she’d have missed in a vehicle, such as the calls of the eagles overhead.

While humans on two wheels don’t make up the majority of visitors to Haida Gwaii, adventurous riders do come over. There are touring cyclists up from Vancouver Island, mountain bikers on a jaunt over from Prince Rupert and road cyclists, too. Since the inhabited part of the archipelago takes up only a small part of the total area, getting around by bike is a great way to experience the place. Car traffic is light, drivers are respectful, and the quality of the paved roads is exceptional. Being on two wheels also means you can venture down logging roads that you can’t explore in a rental car.

Most people either fly into Masset in the north or Sandspit on Moresby Island, or take the ferry to Skidegate from Prince Rupert. The town of Skidegate is spread out around breathtaking Rooney Bay and makes a good starting point for a two-day cycling adventure north. Before you get going, you’ll want to stop in at the Haida Heritage Centre. Opened in 2007 and fronted by six stunning totem poles, the centre is in a beautiful building that documents Haida life and culture from its earliest beginnings.

From here, you can take Front Street through town and past more of Skidegate’s totem poles. Stop in at Jags Beanstalk for the espresso and the view from the bench on the other side of the highway. Look up to the hills behind you and you’ll see dozens of white heads – eagles, perched sentinel-like in the trees. Look out at sea and you might spot a whale.

Continue up the mostly flat coastal road past Balance Rock and Jungle Beach to the town of Tlell. If you arrive at low tide, you can take the Pesuta Shipwreck Trail out from mossy old-growth forest to East Beach, where the wooden bow of a log-carrier has been beached since 1928.

Past Tlell, the highway turns inland and runs up the western edge of Naikoon Provincial Park, and the terrain becomes more rolling. You’ll pass Port Clements – Angela’s Place is a great coffee stop – and a smattering of farms and logging sites. Other than that, it’s just you, the old-growth forest and the occasional deer for about 45 km. You should stop in Pure Lake Provincial Park for a swim.

The Yellowhead Highway ends in Masset, a fishing village on Masset Sound. Ride around Masset and Old Massett and check out totem poles and carving studios. Past Masset, the road turns to dirt – follow it west for roughly 20 km to Agate Beach and take the boardwalk up Tow Hill for a killer view of the beach and the forest inland. On the way back down, stop in at the blow hole and watch water shoot up through gap in the otherworldly basalt rock formation.

Haida-owned businesses have been powering a push toward cultural ecotourism on Haida Gwaii in recent years, mostly hiking, kayaking, fishing tours and excursions to Gwaii Haanas, the 1,470-sq.-km protected national park reserve and marine conservation area that’s home to more than 500 Haida heritage sites, and where some 1,000-year-old trees still stand.

 

Queen Charlotte resident Bill Broadhead sees an opportunity to put Haida Gwaii on the map for mountain biking, too. “My dream is to build a trail network like Pidherny in Prince George,” says the 27-year-old rider, referring to the 30-km network of mountain biking and hiking trails that were developed through joint investment by several levels of government, in partnership with the Prince George Cycling Club and a local trail association. “That’s what we want to get here. Something that’s advertisable.”

Broadhead is just at the start of his journey, and he’s determined. He and a group of friends have been tracking down inactive logging roads that could form the base of their network.

“The roads are overgrown with moss and grass and packed down. Alders have started growing. When you’re on Google Earth, you’ll see these bright electric-green strips.”

For Broadhead, turning scars on the land into trails is one way of creating more pure-bliss cycling moments on Haida Gwaii, and drawing more riders to the edge of the world.

Haida Gwaii

When to go

July and August give you the best weather and choice of activities. They are also the busiest months on the roads, but drivers tend to be respectful and give cyclists plenty of space. If you’re a music fan, try to time your trip with the Edge of the World Music Festival in August for a West Coast hippie delight.

How to get there

There are regular flights between Vancouver and Prince Rupert and the Sandspit Airport on Moresby Island. You can also fly into Masset, though those flights are less frequent. Your other option is to take the seven-hour ferry from Prince Rupert. There are a couple of places to rent bikes on the island, but the selection is limited. If you’re bringing your own bike, keep in mind that there’s only one bike shop on Haida Gwaii, in Masset.

Where to stay

There are a few first-come, first-served campgrounds in Naikoon Provincial Park. There are a range of B&B options in the cities and bigger towns, including poet Susan Musgrave’s Copper Beech Guest House up in Masset. For high-end accommodations, try Haida House near Tlell.

Where to eat

Sandy’s Seafood Shack in Masset, Blacktail Restaurant and Jags Beanstalk in Skidegate, and the Ocean View Restaurant in Queen Charlotte are all good options. For an unforgettable dining experience, make a reservation at Keenawaii’s Kitchen – the Haida chef hosts guests in her dining room for a long-table dinner of traditional foods.

What to do off the bike

Try ocean kayaking in the bay near Skidegate – you can rent kayaks from Green Coast. Hike the Sleeping Beauty Trail. Visit the many artists’ studios on the island. If you have the time, plan an excursion down to Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve with Haida Style Expeditions.