Page 278 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

276  P A CIFIC NOR THWEST REGION B Y REGION

l Haida Gwaii (Queen LANGARA
Charlotte Islands) ISLAND

Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Virago Sound
Islands, is an archipelago of about 150 islands, Old
Massett
many with unique ecosystems. For thousands of Jalun River •
years they have been home to the Haida Nation,
a people renowned for their carvings and Naden River
sculptures made of silver, gold, cedar, and
argillite (a black, slate-like stone found only on
these islands). The remote Gwaii Haanas National
Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Sewall Prince Rupert
Heritage Site protects ancient Haida villages •
nestled amid lush cedar and hemlock rainforest, Masset Inlet Naikoon
Provincial
home to distinctive species such as dusky shrews, Port • Park
Clements
ermine, and pine martens. Bald eagles nest along the
coast, and in spring hundreds of migrating humpback GRAHAM ISLAND
whales and, sometimes, gray whales can be seen. Haida
Gwaii offers some of the West Coast’s finest fishing, Yellowhead Highway • Tlell
kayaking, hiking, boating, and whale-watching. Rennell Sound

•

MORESBY
ISLAND

Mount
Moresby
Masset
The oldest fishing community in T’AANU
Haida Gwaii, Masset is popular ISLAND
with both anglers and tourists.
Its Delkatla Wildlife Sanctuary, an
intertidal wetland and bird-watcher’s
paradise, is refuge to more than
140 recorded species, including large
flocks of migrating shorebirds. In the
nearby Haida village of Old Massett, and Haida Heritage Site
traditional jewelers, carvers, and
weavers work in home studios.
Conservation Area Reserve
Gwaii Haanas National Marine
Queen Charlotte
This quaint fishing village,
also known simply as
Charlotte, is a good base
from which to explore the
islands and take an eco tour.
Its tiny down town offers
cafés, hotels, and shops that
Key sell a variety of goods
including wood carvings,
Paved road Haida carvings, pottery,
Dirt or four-wheel-drive road paintings, glass work, and
handmade clothing.
Hiking trail
For hotels and restaurants see pp290–91 and pp304–5

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