
To be clear, SGang Gwaay is ONLY the site on what used to be called Anthony Island and getting here takes either your own yacht/boat or do a tour. The tours will visit a lot in Gawaii Haanas (another tentative site on its own that expands a LOT) and try to include the world heritage site although you aren't guaranteed if they are busy. My low review score, which you will have seen right way and I'm sure you are wondering why, is because this is a very small site of the Hadai nation and it should be extensive. In fact I didn't even like the poles so much and the remains of houses on SGang Gwaay and I found other sites like Tanu more rewarding to visit. To make it clear: this site is for cultural parts on the island, NOT the wonderful park. I'd definitely give Gwaii Haanas a five star rating when it is inscribed because the cedar forests, primal and untouched territories are a dream come true for someone like me. In retrospective the visit was one of the low-lights of the 4-day tour.
So for this review I'll stick to ONLY the site in the zone. Your tour operator (I also went with Moresby Explorers by the way, clearly a good choice!) will contact the Watchman on the site to arrange a time. If they are busy then you have to wait. Only ~15 people are allowed on the site per visit. The Haida a very strict on these and I cannot complain. You will first walk through the lovely forest and then meet the Watchman who will introduce the site before you head on. The site is very small. There are not many remains left and the house remains were already seen at other non-inscribed places. The main attraction in my opinion are the poles standing along the side of the island. The each have a story to tell, some are still identifiable very well and some are still known to the Watchman but was like looking at stalactite rock formations that the guide would say are a "couple hugging" and you just agree to move on. You will look at those for a good 15 minutes before you look at them from the back where the large house used to stand. The tour will end at the final pole before heading back to the restrooms.
The entire visit takes maybe 30 minutes which is less time that it goes the tour to anchor, walk over, toilet break, another toilet break after the tour and then walk back! When I got here I figured "oh there's another WHS yay" but in reality I wanted to go back to the forest and enjoy the walks some more. Luckily a tour through Gawaii Haanas gives a lot of opportunities. Overall I didn't find the site special and if it's combined with everything around the park including the natural aspect it would be a godly WHS. As a Canadian I want to respect the heritage and previously their poles were taken away and the Haida don't want them back ("they lost their soul"). Getting a glimpse of the sites is a good experience even if you only went to a regular Watchman site (maybe not the hotspring one haha). I also want to say the Watchman was doing a great job to explain everything and even played a song for the group before we departed.
I also ran into a park ranger at the lodge area and briefly discussed the site. There are no markings, "Haida don't like markings" she said, so there is also no UNESCO plaque. I could be at the heritage center back at Skidegate but I didn't check. She wasn't aware of much about extending the site. In the end they just let the Haida handle their sites and ensure the park is healthy (deer are a problem and they are all over the place), currently they were fixing up the boardwalk so I guess they came to supervise it.
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