Ferry discharging cargo

BC Ferries operates a scheduled ferry service between Prince Rupert on the mainland and Skidegate in Haida Gwaii, formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands but renamed in December 2009.

Vehicles and Passengers

Sailing Time: 8 hours

Sailings: 3 round trip sailings per week.

Service provided by the Queen of Prince Rupert

View a map of Prince Rupert

View a map of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).

Reservations are required for passenger and vehicle travel between Port Hardy, Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii.

From the Skidegate terminal on Graham Island, another 20-minute ferry ride takes you to Alliford Bay on Moresby Island.

View Map	Click on the map to view a large scale map of Vancouver Island and Coastal British Columbia Ferry Routes.
	Check current schedules, fares, vehicle reservations and additional information directly with BC Ferries.

Prince Rupert, British Columbia's northernmost port, is the terminus for the Alaska Marine Highway System and VIA Rail. Visitors will find many whale watching charters and fishing vessels selling their wares at the busy dock - try the crabs and fresh halibut! Head down to quaint old Cow Bay for a cappuccino, or out to the rugged beauty of the Khutzeymateen reserve. Take a tour of the historical North Pacific Cannery in Port Edward, the oldest surviving cannery on the coast - well worth a visit.

Ferries from the harbour take visitors up the coast to ports on the Alaska panhandle and north, and across the Hecate Strait to the breathtaking islands of Haida Gwaii.

Eagle Carving on the coastal road between Skidegate and Tlell

They lie on the edge of the province's collective memory like a dream scarce remembered, mythical and elusive, full of meaning and beauty, yet incomprehensible to the waking mind. Impossible not to marvel at, and revel in, this is Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), arguably one of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world.

Two islands, Graham to the north and Morseby to the south, comprise the majority of the land mass. From the Skidegate terminal on Graham Island, another 20-minute ferry ride takes you to Alliford Bay on Moresby Island, where the spectacular Gwaii Haanas, or "place of wonder," truly lives up to its ancient name. Alliford Bay is 15 km (9 miles) south of Sandspit and the airport.

There are 1,884 islands in Haida Gwaii, a mixture of snow-top mountains and fiords that plunge into the sea, mist-enshrouded forests and windswept sandy beaches.

Today, Haida Gwaii is less populated at 6,000 people than they were a century ago when Haida communities thrived along the shores. In the 18th and 19th centuries the area was a thriving fur trading centre, as the Europeans arrived in huge sailing ships to trade in the Haida villages.

The ferry lands at Skidegate, dropping visitors at the midpoint of the island. Lush, primordial rainforest and virgin beaches that change with every tide or storm, this is a naturalist's paradise. All kinds of boating, kayaking, diving, hiking, exploring adventures and excellent fresh and saltwater fishing await the curious.

Haida culture and history are rich here. From the past, visit old villages and sacred sites and, from the present, tour museums and galleries showcasing the works of internationally renowned native artists.