No fuel shortages, Hakai Pass. PHOTO: DAVE QUINN
Hakai Pass
CENTRAL COAST, BRITISH COLUMBIA 5 TO 10 DAYS
The Hakai region is a paddler’s Shangri-la. For those with the right mindset, Hakai Pass is a secret passage into a mystical island chain where anything is possible.
Although the experience of a BC Ferries car deck wet-launch is reason enough to visit Hakai, it is merely the appetizer to the adventure main course to come. Daily encounters with orca, grilled fresh-caught salmon on a driftwood beach fire, sea otters galore and memory-engraving Pacific sunsets are all found in the Hakai, in the heart of the Hieltsuk Nation. —DQ
Talking trees. Gwaii Hanaas. PHOTO: DAVE QUINN
Haida Gwaii QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, BRITISH COLUMBIA 14 DAYS
If Haida Gwaii is not near the top of your Pacific paddling list, it should be. The “Galapagos of the North” boasts some of the last, best remnants of the Pacific Northwest’s wild raincoasts. Gwaii Hanaas National Park’s unparalleled Eden-like mix of ancient rainforest and vibrant marine life offers a window into what the Pacific Northwest used to be. The tangible and authentic history and current genuine hospitality of the Haida Nation complete the picture. —DQ
The Butze Rapids
PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA 3 DAYS
On your way to the Queen Charlotte Islands or just up for an epic adventure? Either 16 hours of driving from Vancouver or a longer, but far more scenic, ferry ride from Port
38 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SPRING 2011
Hardy will get you to the Butze Rapids. Without a doubt, the Butze are among the most impressive tidal races in North America. With currents rushing up to 21 knots, waves form on both the ebb and flood tides. Surf ’s up. —BS
The North Coast
PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA 10 DAYS
Paddling out of Prince Rupert, one enters the northern reach of B.C.’s Great Bear Raincoast. From the sheltered waters of Work Channel and Khutzeymateen Inlet, B.C.’s first Grizzly Sanctuary, to the exciting outer coast waters, the North Coast is a seldom-visited destination awaiting your paddle. Under the stony visage of ancient Tsimpshian petroglyphs, congregations of migrating seabirds and eagles dance over feeding gray and humpback whales, while wolves prowl the beaches and grizzlies feed on vegetation and salmon in the estuaries. —DQ
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