The logging camp of Juskatla on Mamin Bay in Juskatla Inlet, off Masset Inlet in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), was established in the 1940s to supply spruce for warplanes.
Most loggers employed at the Juskatla logging camp commute back and forth to Port Clements. While in Juskatla stop for a look at the log dump and log sorting grounds at the logging camp, where huge machines move huge logs around like matchsticks.
Location: Juskatla is located on Mamin Bay in Juskatla Inlet, off Masset Inlet, 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Port Clements on Graham Island.
The Haida Gwaii islands are accessed by ferry from Prince Rupert to the Skidegate Landing Ferry Terminal on Graham Island, by air from Vancouver to Sandspit on Moresby Island (770 km), and by air from Prince Rupert to Sandspit. Other commercial air services (including float planes and helicopters) are available at Sandspit, Queen Charlotte City and Masset. A 20-minute ferry ride connects Graham and Moresby Islands.
A legendary Golden Sitka Spruce grew on the west bank of the Yakoun River, between Juskatla and Port Clements. The most famous tree on Haida Gwaii put Port Clements on the map, until an act of insane vandalism felled the sacred tree in 1997. The Haida believe the tree held the spirit of a boy named Kiidkayyaas, who was transformed into the Golden Spruce when fleeing his village after a snowstorm came as punishment to his people. The ten-minute trail to the river still makes for a lovely walk.
On the east side of Juskatla Road, a few kilometres south of the Golden Spruce site, watch for the signs to a partly carved Haida cedar canoe, abandoned more than a century ago. The bow of the canoe points toward the stump of the cedar from which it was cut, with the stump clearly showing the adze marks of the Haida canoe builders. Many unfinished Haida canoes lie in the forests on the islands, but this 15-metre (50-ft) canoe is the most accessible of them, with a boardwalk and trail into the canoe site.
Fishing: Fishermen can test their skills on the Yakoun River, famous for its steelhead, as well as the Mamin River. The Yakoun and Mamin River systems together include all 5 species of Pacific salmon (chinook, coho, chum, pink and sockeye), as well as rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden char.
The Yakoun River is the only stream system on the Queen Charlotte Islands that naturally supports a chinook salmon stock. This wild stock is enhanced by the efforts of the Yakoun River (Marie Lake) Fish Hatchery. The Yakoun River is also a major producer of steelhead in the Haida Gwaii islands, offering great salmon and steelhead fishing.
The Mamin River, which flows into Juskatla Inlet, supports a good run of coho salmon from mid September to mid October, and a good steelhead run from January to March. The Port Clements Salmon Enhancement Club works on the Mamin River and provides Yakoun River chinook to the Port Clements school feeding and release program.
Kayaking: Paddlers can launch their kayaks in Juskatla to explore the many bays and islets in Juskatla Inlet. Canoeing & Kayaking in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).
Logging Roads: The network of logging backroads south to Queen Charlotte City is open to the public after working hours only. A logging road map and clearance are available from Juskatla.
Masset Sound (25 miles/40 km long) is a fast-flowing connection between Dixon Entrance, the body of water between Haida Gwaii and the Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, and the ecologically unique Masset Inlet. The village of Masset is located at the mouth of Masset Sound, and Port Clements sits on the eastern shore of Masset Inlet, which leads into Juskatla Inlet, and the logging camp of Juskatla on the eastern shore.
To the north of Juskatla, at the estuary of the Yakoun River, is the logging and fishing village of Port Clements, a wonderful place to observe the giant trees of the temperate rainforest.
The network of logging roads south of Juskatla run to the laid-back fishing village of Queen Charlotte City, the administrative centre for Haida Gwaii, formerly know as the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Circle Tours: See the best of Northern BC and Haida Gwaii on one of the Circle Tours that capture the wonders of the north. The Inside Passage Circle Tour and the Native Heritage Circle Tour include Haida Gwaii by catching a ferry from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands).
Circle Tours in British Columbia.
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Biographical Info
Chromer Sport Fishing is the trusted source for the best BC fishing trips out there! We are a licensed guiding operation located in Vancouver, BC and a full-service booking agency for all the top freshwater and saltwater fishing adventures in BC.
We offer salmon fishing charters, Vancouver fly fishing trips, and BC sturgeon fishing adventures, all right from Vancouver. We also offer steelhead fishing trips in Northern BC, winter steelhead fishing on Vancouver Island, and saltwater salmon fishing out of a lodge on Langara Island in Haida Gwaii.
Owner Operator Yos Gladstone has been a salmon and steelhead guide since 1998, spending over 200 days a year guiding and fishing in BC. He started Chromer with one mission in mind: to showcase fishing in BC and offer the kind of trips he’d like to go on. Chromer Sport Fishing looks forward to earning your business and being a part of your next fishing adventure in British Columbia.
