SGang Gwaay

At the southern end of Haida Gwaii, on a small island facing the open Pacific, stands what remains of the village of SGang Gwaay Llnagaay, abandoned in the 1880s after smallpox. Twenty-odd memorial and mortuary poles still stand along the shoreline in front of the fallen house frames, carved with the crest figures of the families who raised them, and they are deliberately not restored: Haida practice lets them weather, lean and eventually return to the forest floor, which is part of what UNESCO recognised when it listed the site in 1981. Haida Gwaii Watchmen live at the site through the season and take visitors round in small groups. It is reached only by boat or float plane.

What you actually see

• The standing poles - memorial and mortuary poles along the old village front.
• The house depressions - the frames and pits of the longhouses behind them.
• The Watchmen - Haida guardians who live on site and lead the visit.
• Gwaii Haanas - the wider park reserve of islands, inlets and hot springs.

When to go

June to September is the only practical window, when the Watchmen are in place and boats are running. Trips must be booked with a licensed operator well ahead and numbers on the island at any one time are strictly capped. Weather in Hecate Strait cancels crossings regularly.

Honest expectations

Getting here is expensive and slow: a flight or long ferry to Haida Gwaii, then a multi-day boat trip or a float plane charter into the park reserve, and everyone must attend an orientation first. Landings are cancelled in swell. The poles are decaying on purpose and visitors expecting a restored monument will not find one; that is the point of the place.

Nearby

Skidegate and the Haida Heritage Centre are the mainland-side starting point.