> WHEN YOU GO

Get there: I flew Air Canada to Vancouver and took Pacific Coastal Airlines the next morning from the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) South Terminal to Masset on Haida Gwaii. Get around: Some lodges offer all-inclusive packages, but otherwise a car rental gives the most freedom. Book well in advance as vehicles are limited. Stay: I stayed at luxury ecolodge Haida House at Tllaal (haidahouse.com).

The meals are fantastic and the beach is minutes away. It specializes in all-inclusive Haida culture and adventure packages. I stayed at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport (fairmont.com) on either end of my trip. It’s inside YVR and my soundproofed room overlooked planes at their gates and came with a plane spotting guide. Eat: The Haida House at Tllaal Dining Room is open to the public for meals. I also had a family-style meal at Keenawaii’s Kitchen (find it on Facebook, reservation only, February to September) in Skidegate. Jags Beanstalk (jagsbeanstalk.com) in Skidegate has a bistro and espresso bar as well as guest rooms. Do this trip:

Parks Canada (pc.gc.ca) oversees permits and trips to Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site, which can be reached by sea or air.

Inland Air Charters (inlandair.bc.ca) does flightseeing tours.

Haida Style Expeditions (haidastyle.com) does boat tours for storytelling and fishing.

Dale Lore (dalelore@gmail.com) is a Haida House tour guide but can also be booked privately. His son Alan Lore runs Budgies Backpackers (budgiesbackpackers.com) and does guided kayak tours (kayakhaidagwaii.com). Do your research: hellobc.com, lovehaidagwaii.com, gohaidagwaii.ca