The Northern British Columbia region includes the islands of Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands), home of the Haida – the West Coast First Nation that has lived there for thousands of years – and the wilderness Gwaii Haanas National Park, a kayaking and wildlife paradise. The largest parks are Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park, Mount Edziza Park, and Northern Rocky Mountains Park, the third largest provincial park in BC. Highlights include the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, which protects the highest concentration of grizzlies in BC, and the Liard River Hot Springs that provide soothing relief to weary travellers on the Alaska Highway. Outdoor adventure activities include hiking, backpacking, camping, horseback riding, offroad 4×4 tours, river boating and jet boating, whitewater rafting and kayaking, canoeing and mountain biking, and the wide-open spaces of Northern British Columbia allow for excellent snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

Trout River in Muncho Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands)

Mythical and elusive, full of meaning and beauty, Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, offers arguably one of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world. Made up of about 150 islands, Haida Gwaii is impossible not to marvel at, and to revel in.

The North West

Nestled up under the Alaska Panhandle, the North West is filled with both unique wilderness experiences and the standard British Columbia fare of deep fjords, dramatic canyons, sheer mountains, rivers thick with salmon, old-growth forests, and an abundance of wildlife.

The North East

The Rocky Mountains and their foothills dominate the Northeast, and the Northern Rocky Mountains are the largest roadless landscape south of the 60th parallel. The area’s wildlife population is so prolific that this portion of the Northern Rockies has been dubbed the Serengeti of North America.