Queen Charlotte City

The Village of Queen Charlotte is the centrally located community at the south end of Graham Island in Bearskin Bay

Sleeping Beauty Mountain rises up behind it. The town is the administrative centre for the Queen Charlotte Islands and contains more shops and services than its small size would suggest.

Most people visit to experience the natural beauty and the rich Haida culture that flourishes here, but there's lots more to explore in Queen Charlotte City. When arrivals come to explore the area, one of the most popular adventures in town is the salmon charters, halibut fishing, steelhead and trout river fishing.

Known as the Galapagos of British Columbia, the Islands are a rainforest of natural beauty and wildlife. Haida and settler cultures add to the diversity while the mild climate allows for lush vegetation and abundant wildlife. Deer, racoons, black bear, and many varieties of birds such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons can be viewed seasonally in easily accessible areas.

The Queen Charlotte Mountain Ranges provides a backdrop for the Island communities and a haven for hikers of all levels. The Charlotte Lowlands and Skidegate Plateau encompass everything from muskeg to marshes to soft hills. There are many less strenuous paths, often reaching or following inland lakes and rivers, available for hikers, bikers, birders, fishermen, hunters and nature lovers or you may challenge yourself climbing Sleeping Beauty for a 360 degree view of Skidegate Inlet to the west coast.

Nearby Naikon Provincial Park is a perfect spot to explore the rainforest, photograph wildlife or enjoy a quiet walk along the sandy beach.

The small thriving village is a community of fishing and logging industries, offering a wide range of activities to the visitor. This quaint town also offers the island's hospital, library, police station, unique gift shops, gas stations, accommodations, a grocery store, ATM and laundromat. Plus and an array of recreational opportunities including fishing, kayaking, floatplane trips, beachcombing and diving are all spectacular. Whale watching is outstanding. Other activities include wilderness camping, boating, off roading, hiking, bird watching, wildlife tours and Haida First Nation cultural interpretive tours.

Haida history and culture can be experienced first hand in the remote Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. The Haida have been in this area for over 10,000 years. Take a guided tour of Gwaii Haanas and you will come across deserted Haida villages and very old, weathered totem poles. Among the most impressive of these sites is SGang Gwaay on Anthony Island, home of what is considered to be the most impressive collection of standing Haida mortuary poles in the world. This amazing village was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

The Queen Charlotte Islands have no fast food restaurants, no cell phone service and just one traffic light, so they constitute a peaceful escape in and of themselves. You'll feel more relaxed and rejuvenated the longer you stay.

Queen Charlotte City is located on Skidegate Inlet on the southern shore of Graham Island, 3 miles (5 km) west of the ferry terminal at Skidegate. The Haida Gwaii islands are accessed by ferry from Prince Rupert to the Skidegate Landing Ferry Terminal on Graham Island, by air from Vancouver to Sandspit on Moresby Island (770 km), and by air from Prince Rupert to Sandspit. Other commercial air services (including float planes and helicopters) are available at Sandspit, Queen Charlotte City, and Masset. A 20-minute ferry ride connects Graham and Moresby Islands.