Naikoon Provincial Park

The wildly spectacular Naikoon Provincial Park encompasses some 72,640 hectares (179,500 acres) along the northeast tip of Graham Island. The park’s dominant features are its beaches, 97 kilometers (60 miles) of them, bordering Hecate Strait on the east and the turbulent Dixon Entrance on the north. Most of the rest of the park is lowlands, surrounded by stunted lodgepole pine, red and yellow cedar, western hemlock, and Sitka spruce.

Wildlife is abundant; black-tailed deer, black bear, marten, river otter, raccoons, red squirrels, beaver, muskrat, small herds of wild cattle, and many species of birds inhabit the park. Dolphins, orcas, porpoises, and seals swim offshore year-round, and northern fur seals and California gray whales migrate north past the park in May and June.

The road east from Masset [1] passes the base of Tow Hill after 26 kilometers (16 miles) and then quickly ends at the southern end of long, sandy North Beach. This strip of sand is a beachcomber’s delight, as it is strewn with shells, driftwood, and shiny, sea-worn pebbles of every color under the sun. The beach is best known for semiprecious agate, ranging from light yellow in color to almost-translucent, which is found among piles of pebbles that become exposed at low tide starting about three kilometers (1.9 miles) along the beach.

At the end of North Beach is Rose Spit. Known to the Haida as Naikoon, meaning “Long Nose,” this narrow point of land separates the waters of Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance. From the end of Tow Hill Road, it’s about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of easy beach walking to the end of the spit; if you allow six hours for the round trip, you’ll have enough time to enjoy a picnic lunch among the driftwood along the way.

At Agate Beach Campground ($15) near Tow Hill, campsites lie along the back of the beach and offer outstanding views. A shelter and pit toilets are provided, but no showers. In summer you need to nab a spot early in the day—by late afternoon they’re all taken.