Archipelago of Haida Gwaii

The archipelago of Haida Gwaii consists of more than 150 islands of various sizes lying alongside the edge of the continental shelf, off the coast of British Columbia.

Haida Gwaii from Space

Shaped like an inverted triangle, the main two Islands of Haida Gwaii are Graham Island in the north and Moresby Island in the south. The southern half of Moresby Island is protected by the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Protected Site. There are few roads on Moresby Island and access into Gwaii Haanas is only available by boat or float plane.

There are three distinct geographical topographies found on Haida Gwaii: The Queen Charlotte Mountains, the Skidegate Plateau and the Queen Charlotte lowlands. The Queen Charlotte Mountains run along the west coast of the Islands from the southern tip along the westcoast acting as a backbone for the islands. The Queen Charlotte Lowlands are found on the north and east coasts of the Islands. This terrain is typically comprised of peat bogs and was scoured by the last retreating glacier about 15,000 years ago. The Skidegate plateau lies in between these two regions and acts as a transition zone.

There are three main protected areas on Haida Gwaii covering more than 50% of the land base. The Gwaii Haanas National Park and Haida Protected Site in the south, Naikoon Provincial Park in the northeast and the recently established Duu Guusd Haida Protected Area along the Northwest and West Coast of the Islands.