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!
July 08, 2012 | Tips from Us >
Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands, Sightseeing Tours
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Last week, Inland Air Floatplane Tours invited 3 of our Visitor Centre Staff, along with 2 girls from the Northern Haida Gwaii Visitor Centre in Masset on an hour long sightseeing tour of Skidegate Channel, the Narrows, and the West Coast!
Their floatplane dock is located in downtown Queen Charlotte City, across from the Premier Creek Hotel. It's very easy to find and the office is open daily for anyone looking to book tours this summer. They provide customized tours all over Gwaii Haanas National Park to sites such as the ancient Haida Village known as Ninstints, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. They also provide shorter, more affordable tours such as the one we went on to the West Coast; even a shorter flight was worth it! It's very hard to get out to the West Coast, as the only access is via old logging roads. And to see it from an aerial view was amazing!
We flew next to the tops of still snow-covered mountains, up the narrows, and over many little islands scattered within. Even though it wasn't the clearest of days, the views were still breathtaking. We made sure to get lots of pictures, and you can check them out on the Queen Charlotte Visitior Centre facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/QueenCharlotteVisitorCentre
From the Staff at the Queen Charlotte Visitor Centre, we'd like to send out a HUGE Thank You to Inland Air for the free flight tour - we definitely cherish having had the opportunity and we are able to say a trip to the West Coast is well worth it!
Other methods of travelling to the Gwaii Haanas National Park, other than floatplane, are zodiac and motor boat tours, kayaking, and other mothership tours! Full listings can be found on our website (www.qcinfo.ca) and having been on a boat tour once prior, those are well worth it too!
Nothing beats coming to Haida Gwaii and experiencing the beautiful sights. It's an amazing place to visit and the boat and floatplane tours are essential for seeing most of the hidden beauty!
July 01, 2012 | Tips from Us >
Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands, Attractions
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The annual Canada Day celebration took place this weekend in Port Clements! It began at 10am on Saturday with a community parade. Lots of booths were open selling kettle corn, burgers, and more. Local bands performed throughout the day and a 5 on 5 soccer tournament brought out a crowd, as did the softball tournament. But while Saturday was a lot of fun...everyone looks forward to Sunday and the mudbog races!
I went to the events yesterday and today and had a great time with my friend. He and I sat and watched some more of the soccer tournament today and went to watch the mudbog races! The mudbog is always a hit with locals and tourists alike, and involves jacked up trucks, mud, and a lot of adrenaline! My dad has a bronco he wants to enter next year as it's seen the last of its years! Locals enter their "beasts" each year for a chance to win cash prizes...so if you feel like entering or coming out to watch, be prepared to get dirty!
I'm sure we will be seeing some celebratory fireworks this evening...Cheers to you all, Happy Canada Day everyone!