NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 621

(250/559-4421). The post office and a laundry are in the City Centre Building off 2nd Av-
enue.
NORTH TO PORT CLEMENTS
From Queen Charlotte City, Graham Island's main road follows the eastern coastline past
the ferry terminal and Haida Heritage Centre to the Haida community of Skidegate Village,
from where it's a pleasant 65-kilometer (40-mile) coastal drive to Port Clements.
Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay
While totem poles and other ancient Haida art can be seen in various places around the is-
lands, the Haida Heritage Centre (250/559-7885, 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat. June, 10am-6pm
daily July-Aug., 10am-5pm Tues.-Sat. Sept.-May, adult $15, student $10, child $5), on the
north side of the Skidegate Landing ferry terminal, gives visitors the opportunity to see a
variety of such art under one roof. Inside the impressive log building are striking Haida
wood and argillite carvings, pioneer artifacts, a beautiful woven blanket, jewelry, historic
black-and-white photos, stunning prints by Haida artist Robert Davidson, ancient totems
from Tanu and Skedans dating to 1878, the skull of a humpback whale, shells galore, and a
collection of stuffed birds. Outside, be sure to visit the longhouse-style cedar carving shed,
where the fantastic 15-meter-long (49-foot-long) canoe Loo Taas (which means “wave eat-
er”) is housed.
Between late April and early June, migrating gray whales rest and feed on the shallow
gravel bars of Skidegate Inlet in front of the museum on their annual 15,000-kilometer
(9,300-mile) odyssey between Mexico and Alaska. Behind the museum, a wooden deck
overlooking the water is a great vantage point for watching these magnificent creatures, or
continue a few hundred yards farther around the bay and search them out from the roadside.
Skidegate Village and Vicinity
Continuing north from the museum, you'll soon come to Skidegate Village, a Haida reserve
of 700 residents. A weathered totem pole, over 100 years old, still stands here, as do six
newer ones. Facing the beach is a traditional longhouse, home to the Skidegate Haida Band
Council House, where local artisans fashion miniature totem poles, argillite ornaments, and
jewelry in traditional designs. Cross the road from the local recreation center to the trailhead
of a hiking trail to Spirit Lake. The trail passes through an old-growth forest of hemlock,
Sitka spruce, and red cedar and passes two picturesque bodies of water, one with picnic
tables. The round-trip is three kilometers (1.9 miles)—an easy hour's walk.