Maple Leaf Adventures offers a wild yacht-based heli-skiing trip to scratch the bucket-list itch, but if you’re seeking something more grounded and yet equally epic, you can’t beat its Haida Gwaii itineraries. On the eight-day trips, small catamarans with just a dozen cabins sail among the archipelago, formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands, passing remote beaches and old growth rain forests. You’ll get to immerse yourself in Haida culture past and present, hear stories of the Guardian Watchmen who protect the village sites, and explore memorial poles and the remains of big houses.

Fellow passengers and I gather for breakfast at the start of each day in the beautiful, varnished wood salon of the 111-year-old, retrofitted tugboat the Swell. It’s here our Gulf Islands National Park and Salish Sea expedition leader Michael Jackson tells us what to expect that day, sprinkling his talk with a fair bit of “ish.” As in, what time we’ll drop anchor and climb into the two zodiacs, bobbing behind the boat, for a shore outing. With so many variables at sea, our itinerary on Maple Leaf Adventures’ four day journey is fluid and guests quickly realize going with the flow has its benefits. So far, we’ve discovered something wonderful happens with every twist and turn. Like the time a nature hike to Salt Spring Island was dropped after two orcas appeared, and we happily spent the next hour whale watching instead.