One Of North America's Least Visited National Parks Offers Remote Outdoor Adventures

British Columbia's mixture of awe-inspiring mountain ranges, ravishing coastline, and Pacific Northwest climate has established it as perhaps Canada's most outdoorsy province. National parks like Kootenay and Yoho have acclaimed mountain views and experiences, and even the populous city of Vancouver has abundant outdoor activities. Not every outdoor destination in British Columbia is quite as popular, however. Far away from the city streets of Vancouver, on a remote island off the province's northern coast, sits the little-known Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. Though one of Canada's least-visited national parks, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve offers, arguably, the most authentic outdoor experiences in British Columbia.

Gwaii Haanas only receives an average of 2,500 to 3,000 visitors annually. With such limited visitation, the park is as uncrowded as it gets. And Gwaii Haanas' island setting fosters a superb meeting of land and water in one biodiverse coastal ecosystem, one that preserves the rich cultural traditions of the region's Haida people. 

If this sounds like a worthy adventure, you can take advantage of one of the many guided expeditions and tours to Gwaii Haanas with licensed operators, many of whom include transport from nearby communities like Sandspit and Masset. Otherwise, you will need to book a reservation no later than five business days before your trip, and complete a self-guided online orientation. Regardless of how you get there, the daily entry fee to Gwaii Haanas National Park is $29 CAD ($20.92 USD) for adults at the time of writing. Fee and transportation challenges aside, Gwaii Haanas is one of Canada's most beautiful national parks for outdoor adventurers, with the added benefit of avoiding the irksome crowds that tend to afflict far more popular national parks. 

Gwaii Haanas is not merely a national park, but also an official National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and a Haida Heritage Site. Geographically, Gwaii Haanas protects a network of islands, bays, shorelines, inlets, tidal pools, mountains, and temperate rainforests that thrive in the region's rainy Pacific climate. The lowlands of the San Christoval Range provide a mountainous haven for damp, mossy forests of hemlock, cedar, and spruce trees. Offshore, the park's marine environment protects equally intricate ecosystems of undersea kelp forests. 

Gwaii Haanas National Park includes territory in more than 138 individual islands in British Columbia's Haida Gwaii archipelago, including the large Moresby Island and its surrounding islets. The Haida Gwaii islands (previously known as "Queen Charlotte Islands") have some of Canada's best-preserved forests and unadulterated ecosystems. Like California's stunning Channel Islands National Park and its own island nature preserve, Haida Gwaii frequently draws comparisons to the Galapagos Islands for unparalleled biodiversity. As the archipelago's largest protected area, Gwaii Haanas is the perfect representation of this critical ecosystem. Park visitors have excellent odds of seeing many of the region's native wildlife in person, notably birds and marine mammals like Gwaii Haanas' populations of Steller sea lions. 

Alongside its stunning ecological treasures, Gwaii Haanas is also a major cultural site of the Haida people, who have inhabited these islands for thousands of years. The park preserves several historic Haida cultural sites, including authentic villages and the remains of Haida longhouses. Altogether, this indispensable blend of natural and cultural resources has earned Gwaii Haanas official designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Because no roads reach as far as the Haida Gwaii islands, travelers must book a boat or seaplane to access Gwaii Haanas. From Vancouver, travelers do have flight options to Haida Gwaii airports at Sandspit and Masset. As the air route from Vancouver to Toronto is the busiest domestic flight in North America, a flight to the remote Haida Gwaii should be a relaxing change of pace for frequent fliers. BC Ferries also runs a seven-hour ferry service from Prince Rupert to the Haida Gwaii town of Skidegate Landing. 

Once there, Gwaii Haanas National Park has all of the amazing outdoor adventures you would expect from such a remarkable natural setting. As the park has no "official" trails, hikers will need to navigate Gwaii Haanas' complex rainforests, coastal ecosystems, and small mountain ranges with a high degree of self-sufficiency. If you're up for it, though, a hiking adventure through Gwaii Haanas can take you to untouched treasures like a scenic mountain summit, the magical coastal environment of Burnaby Narrows and Windy Bay, and several preserved Haida villages. The park also runs guided nature and cultural tours of Haida Gwaii's major attractions. 

On the water, Gwaii Haanas is a kayaker's dream, with innumerable kayak routes that show off the park's outstanding scenery from the water. Many local outfitters even offer kayak rentals. If you'd prefer a more luxurious water tour, Gwaii Haanas is also popular for powerboating and sailing. Whichever you choose, you'll get to see Gwaii Haanas' extraordinary coastal marine ecosystem as you take in views of the park's land-based features. And with no formal, developed campsites, Gwaii Haanas offers an unforgettable opportunity to experience truly rugged backcountry camping in a gorgeous beach or forest setting.