July 15, 2012 | Tips from Us >
Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands, Beaches & Swimming
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If you're not local, Tlell is a difficult name to roll off the tongue! It's pronounced "Tull-ell" and is a small community on Haida Gwaii. When I say small...I mean no hospital or bank, a couple of restaurants, and houses spread here and there. If you're looking for a peaceful place to stay or to hangout, it's perfect!
Environment Canada has kept true to its promising forecast, and Haida Gwaii has just been blessed with copious amounts of sunshine, with more on it's way! Last week my friends and I ventured up north to Tlell for the day...the coastline presents many beach options, the perfect choices for suntanning and swimming!
To drive there it takes about an hour. We had the windows down, the music cranked up and we drove the highway along the coastline - it really is a beautiful drive! You can see eagles and deers commonly, but sometimes will you see a black bear! We drove past Balance Rock, St. Mary's Spring, and continued until we came to the Crow's Nest. It's a small grocery store and restaurant. We stopped for lunch, and I had the beef samosa with a garden salad - it was very tasty! We grabbed a few drinks and snacks when we finished, and drove a bit further to the beach.
Most of the beaches on Haida Gwaii are covered in rocks and pebbles. However, in Tlell you can find a few with sand or sandy areas. We laid out our towels and soaked up the rays for a few hours. The ocean waters are quite cold, and my friends decided to swim...I decided not to, but that didn't matter to them. I ended up in the water and swam around for a little while. Nothing perks you up better than a dunk in freezing, salty water!
On the beach we found some really neat agates and shells. At the Visitor Centre we sell small books about how to identify pebbles and shells - I thought they would have been quite useful for our beachcombing!
With the car filled with tanned and wet bodies, as well as the unavoidable amounts of sand on the carpeted flooring, we called the day a success and headed back home to Queen Charlotte City. So if you're thinking of visiting the islands one day, don't forget about Tlell's beaches!