Category: Beach Trail

NOTE: Rennell Sound is subject to variable weather conditions, heavy rainfall, and landslide risk, particularly from September thru May. Be prepared for emergencies and road closures during weather events.

ABOUT

Located within the Duu Guusd Conservancy, Gregory Beach offers a lovely sand and pebble beach for
those wishing to relax and experience the dynamic environment that is Haida Gwaii’s rugged west coast. At the beach’s north end you will find Gregory Creek, which is home to spawning salmon in August and September. The small Gregory Beach campsite is located opposite the creek.

As described by Haida Hereditary Chief Gidansda, Duu Guusd “stands as a testament to the power of the earth” and “maintains all of the elements that spawned the Haida cultural heritage.” Indeed, the conservancy is huge, clocking in at 229,107 hectares in size (144,934 terrestrial and 84,173 foreshore), and stretching from the western side of Naden Harbour to Langara Island, and south to Rennell Sound. It should come as no surprise that Duu Guusd is an area rich in cultural values. 39 village sites or seasonal camps have been identified; 88 registered archaeological sites have been noted, including CMts, shell middens, habitation caves, burial sites, and blank canoes; the area is rich in unique geological formations from antiquity; and it is home to some of the most productive marine habitat on all of Haida Gwaii. The intertidal pools – prominent at the Conehead Recreational camping site – provide a beautiful and vivid example of this latter point.

To reach Gregory Beach, and others in the area, one requires a good deal of patience and a high clearance vehicle because the old logging road out to Rennell is in poor shape and rife with large potholes. Once you make it, however, you will be rewarded with some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world.

If traveling from Daajing Giids, drive approximately 22 kilometers along the QC Mainline (use appropriate caution as these are active logging roads). You will come upon a blue sign with white text pointing you WEST towards the Duu Guusd Conservancy and Rennell Sound. You are now on the Rennell Sound Forest Service Road. From here, it is a 15 kilometer drive towards the Sound. Along the way, you will drive through Rennell Pass, including Rennell Hill with its steep 25% grade. While there is no longer active logging in this area, it is strongly recommended that you still drive with caution because the Rennell FSR is narrow and filled with significant potholes. For this reason, a high clearance vehicle is suggested.

LOCATING THE TRAILHEAD

Once at the bottom of Rennell Hill, you will come upon the Rennell Sound Recreation Site. From here, drive north for approximately 13 kilometers along the Rennell FSR. You will pass the trailhead signs for Five Mile Beach and Riley Creek before finally coming upon the Gregory Beach trailhead marker. There is a small pullout with enough room for two or three vehicles to park. Welcome to the Gregory Beach Trail!

HIKING THE TRAIL

The trail to Gregory Beach is brief at only 300 meters one-way. It should take approxim?ately 5 minutes to reach the beach. As you hike this brief path, which takes you through some nice shoreline forest, be cognizant of some muddy sections; otherwise, the single-file trail is mostly clear and an easy walk. It is also the only trail within Rennell Sound to feature the Ben Davidson Haida trail marker. Once you reach the beach, enjoy the rugged beauty of Haida Gwaii’s west coast: Surf the waves, swim in the ocean, comb the beach, or have a picnic (please pick up after yourself). As you relax in this oasis of calm, it is easy to lose all sense of time . . . and that’s okay.

NOTE: Rennell Sound is subject to variable weather conditions, heavy rainfall, and landslide risk, particularly from September thru May. Be prepared for emergencies and road closures during weather events.

ABOUT

Located within Rennell Sound and the Duu Guusd Conservancy, the Riley Creek Trail offers hikers a substantive walk through riparian old growth forest, which terminates at a secluded sand and pebble beach. According to Dalzell, Riley Creek was named after the engineer who “surveyed the proposed railway route to the west coast of Graham Island.” The trail is not formally maintained, so be prepared for potentially challenging conditions as a result of blowdown.

To reach the Riley Creek Trail, and other trails in the area, one requires a good deal of patience and a high clearance vehicle because the old logging road out to Rennell is in poor shape and rife with large potholes. Once you make it, however, you will be rewarded with some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world.

If traveling from Daajing Giids, drive approximately 22 kilometers along the QC Mainline (use appropriate caution as these are active logging roads). You will come upon a blue sign with white text pointing you WEST towards the Duu Guusd Conservancy and Rennell Sound. You are now on the Rennell Sound Forest Service Road. From here, it is a 15 kilometer drive towards the Sound. Along the way, you will drive through Rennell Pass, including Rennell Hill with its steep 25% grade. While there is no longer active logging in this area, it is strongly recommended that you still drive with caution because the Rennell FSR is narrow and filled with significant potholes. For this reason, a high clearance vehicle is suggested.

LOCATING THE TRAILHEAD

Once at the bottom of Rennell Hill, you will come upon the Rennell Sound Recreation Site. From here, drive north for approximately 12 kilometers along the Rennell FSR. You will pass the trailhead sign for Five Mile Beach before coming upon the Riley Creek trailhead marker. There is a small pullout with enough room for two or three vehicles to park. Welcome to the Riley Creek Trail!

As you get ready for the hike, you will undoubtedly read the information contained on the trailhead sign. Please note that key information on this board is incorrect. First, while the trail is marked throughout, the Ben Davidson trail marker is not used; rather, it is a mix of flagging tape ad orange squares. Second, the stated length of the trail – 2.3km one way – is off by a significant margin. Other sources indicate the route to be 2 kilometers, 5 kilometers and 10 kilometers one-way; however, none of these are correct. The actual length of the trail, one way, is 3.44 kilometers. As such, one should ensure they’ve brought sufficient water and snacks for this trek through the forest.

HIKING THE TRAIL

The Riley Creek Trail is the only substantive hiking trail within Rennell Sound where the trail itself functions as the attraction (with the other three, the trails are secondary to the beaches). While not formally maintained, the path is obvious and generally well-marked. When we hiked the route, there were only a couple of spots – just past the mid-way point – where we had to take a moment to locate the trail thanks to blowdown.

As you hike the riparian wilderness, take time to appreciate the lush flora that surrounds you. Much of the Riley Creek route is covered in thick green moss, which gives the environment a fairy-like atmosphere. Combine this with the gentle lull of the creek and you have all the ingredients necessary for a relaxing stroll through Haida Gwaii’s rainforest.

We should note that, even during dry conditions, parts of the trail can be quite miry. There are boardwalks and stepping blocks to assist with this, but even these should be used with caution. The boardwalks are old and some have been compromised; the stepping blocks, while solid, are extremely slippery and pose their own hazard. In addition, there are numerous sections of blowdown along the way. Most of it is minor and easy to navigate, but there are at least two areas with fairly significant deadfall on the trail: About 45 minutes in, while walking along a ridge, you’ll notice a large spruce has toppled over and ripped out a large section of the trail. We briefly thought about turning around at this point, but carefully navigated around the fallen tree and returned to the trail. Then, about 40 minutes later, you’ll come upon this area with a clutter of fallen alder and spruce. It’s easy enough to duck around these, but it does make the trail a little difficult to follow – at least momentarily.

About 500 meters out from Riley Beach, the trail splits. At this point, you have the option of crossing Riley Creek and continuing along the southern side of the creek towards the beach OR staying on the north side of Riley Creek and continuing to the beach via this route. One should only cross Riley Creek when water levels are low. If you choose not to cross the creek, you will still get to the beach. After such a lengthy and somewhat challenging trek through the woods, Riley Beach provides the perfect spot for a bite to eat and re-charge before hiking back to your vehicle.