Mate and I are about to finish the TCAT this year and I was looking around for something else to do , spotted Haida Gwaii and started googling , watch a great doc on it and am kinda intrigued . I can see the main roads pretty easy and zooming in on DeLorme Topo shows me a shit load of forest roads all over the place , have any guys done many of the forest roads ? And tracks of them ? Suggestions and input really welcome . Maybe next year I would give it a shot .
YES same place lol. It is gorgeous there. Old growth forest, beautiful beaches. I don't know if it is much for riding, to be honest... But I would definitely say go there, explore and camp. It is one of those places that is mostly untouched and so so beautiful.
Though I’ve not been over to Haida Gwaii yet I would imagine those are logging roads similar situation to here. Some can be in good enough condition for a bike with street tires on a dry day or others could be washed out and challenging on a bigger dual sport. Here we also run into gates on many logging roads, that could be an issue there as well. Hopefully someone will chime in with hands on experience...
Yeah I'm hoping someone does chime in with some local knowledge , looks like it could be fun . I've looked on tube and not much there , some guy on a KLR with crappy camera work and that's about it .
Oh you mean the Misty Isles? They closed down many years ago, and is inaccessible except for the most intrepid. As discussed in another thread, I'm wary about giving tourist advice in BC, but inmates get a pass. We've got an over abundance of garbage loving gun-toting city idiots (cidiots) but in the interest of safety I can point you to the provincial mapping service and if you have the yarbles to figure it out you will soon see copious roads throughout. They (the islands) are most definitely NOT 'untouched' as evidenced by massive road-caused landslides and associated clear cuts. If you can look past those, the natural wonders are amazing. Getting there is not tough, I did it 25 years ago and stayed for 3 years. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/data/geographic-data-services/web-based-mapping/imapbc Launch imapbc, goto 'I want to" - add Provincial layers, 'licenses and permits', 'forest road sections'. Note that some will only show up at certain scale, like less than 1:20,000 or less.
Guys, Thanks for the information about this - that's an intriguing story, I appreciate you finding a way to let it bubble to my nerdy head. Where can one see this documentary?
just to add to the naming confusion, here is an older link....https://advrider.com/f/threads/grahm-island.1150412/ Couple of points I can add for spending some time there: ...there have been many roads built to haul logs, but with the amount of rain there and the growth rate of vegetation, they revert back quickly. ...... many logging roads begin and end at the ocean, so in addition to a bike,you will need a boat. ...... remote is a good description.......if you find trouble, be prepared to deal with it or fix it yourself. .......Haida Gwaii maps are for dreaming about might be possible.........the reality is usually more nightmareish. ......take a rain coat and rubber boots (with spikes in the soles)
I haven't been to Haida Gwaii yet but we did some exploring around Gingolx and New Aiyansh and there were a ton of forestry roads and places to get off the beaten path. Really beautiful there. Most of the villages are tiny and don't have a lot of places for lodging (one bed and breakfast). I don't think you can go wrong by visiting any of the northern and remote parts of BC.
New Aiyansh? Probably some the best Wor Won Ton soup I ever had.And the young lady at the information boot teached me how to pronounce Gingolx properly.Quite a place.....if one is a member of the "flat earth society" he can feel like falling off the edge up that way! Had to fuel up before heading to Cranberry Junction.Mind you pretty well all the locals I talked to told me that I should stay out of there with my not really ADV type bike. Haida Gwaii? That's a not to miss if you are ever that way but certainly better seen by boat as I had plenty of occasions to do in 30yrs of working the coast. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/157
I think I want to go , it would be great to have some GPX of forest roads that folks have done because there are just so many of them and who knows how many are still remotely passable but if not we will make some ! lol I just seems like a great place to poke around in no hurry .
Here are the main roads (paved and FSR which are regularly maintained) and eating and camping sites. One interesting factoid is that the ferry from Prince Rupert crosses the Hecate Strait to get to Haida Gwaii. The strait is fairly shallow and the winds can tunnel between the island and the mainland with such ferocity that waves can get so big that the ocean floor can be exposed in the wave troughs. This mostly happens in the winter, but the ferry is locally known as the barfing cruise liner. Needless to say the ferry service is completely weather dependent, so be prepared with patience. If you are in the area ride up to Stewart - there is a town camp site and some good eats in summer - take your passports and cross into Hyder to get some of best seafood you have ever had. Here is the pass by the Bear Glacier on the way o Stewart/Hyder Here are a few of my photos/eyecandies ....and finally do not miss breakfast at JAGS!
