Is There Such A Thing As Queens Charlotte Islands Accommodations?

By Edward Allen


North America is full of great nature vacations, places where it is possible to get away from people and tune into the rhythms our ancestors knew. One of the loveliest our continent offers is a great Northwest paradise off the coast of British Columbia. The good news is that however pristine, it is actually possible to find Queens Charlotte Islands accommodations that include a warm bed, a great meal, even a degree of luxury.

Quietly, this apparently pristine wilderness has sprouted several mid-sized to small lodges and cottages, most of them considerably more posh on the inside than magnificent on the outside. Few visit the Queen Charlotte Islands to hang out in the lodge, so this is a luxury that remains fairly secret. This isn't Vail, but a genuine wild environment where visitors typically come to enjoy the primeval and the solitary.

Also known as the Haida Gwaii, the archipelago of islands has been home to the Haida Indians for untold thousands of years. Today these first peoples' ancient villages are of endless fascination to tourists from all over the world. So too are their cultural artifacts, such as their majestic Pacific Northwest Indian totem poles.

These days, the island group is probably best known for its black bears, which are sometimes a good seven feet tall. There's no doubt about the fact that they can be dangerous. Tourists love to see them, usually from the safety of a boat gliding by as one sits on the beach, munching on a salmon. However, their population here is so thick that bear-hunting has become a big pastime.

Despite their mutual antagonism, tourists and bears can grin together about all the fine salmon fishing. The island group became a stable tourist destination largely on the strength of its being such a fishing spot. The Queen Charlotte Islands enjoy flourishing populations of Pacific Northwest wildlife. There are eagles in the skies, deer in the forests, sea lions, otters, and whales in its seas.

The island chain is made up of one hundred fifty and more individual islands, and islands of any size have many streams and rivers. It goes without saying, then, that the islands are perfect for boating tours. Boaters can spend all day exploring the sudden coves, the rapids, the shallow streams. The rivers are full of jellyfish and, of course, salmon. One can still visit the remote cove where Captain Cook set anchor, almost three centuries ago.

The scenery is otherworldly, and it becomes clear why the archipelago have gained the nickname the Misty Isles. The fog is a living presence, sometimes swallowing up the mountaintops or whiting out trees in the forest. There are not just rainbows but magnificent "fog bows" here. There are whales, seals, and sea lions in the ocean, endless salmon in the streams.

This is a place of moss on the tree trunks, winding trails, and quiet, rocky beaches. It's a wonderful place to come for hiking, biking, camping, or hunting. But it isn't necessarily to sleep out on the land. There are plenty of warm, sumptuous lodges to retire to after a day of adventure.




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