Please complete your profile to unlock commenting and other important features.

Please select your date of birth for special perks on your birthday. Your username will be your unique profile link and will be publicly used in comments.
Narcity Pro

This is a Pro feature.

Time to level up your local game with Narcity Pro.

Pro

$5/month

$40/year

  • Everything in the Free plan
  • Ad-free reading and browsing
  • Unlimited access to all content including AI summaries
  • Directly support our local and national reporting and become a Patron
  • Cancel anytime.
For Pro members only Pro
Summary

The World's Tallest Free-Standing Totem Pole Is In BC & You Can Barely See The Top

It won't be there in 10 years.🕒

Editor

The world's tallest free-standing totem pole is actually in B.C., and it's incredibly huge.

The stunning totem pole is called the 'Story Pole' is in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, B.C., where it looks out on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

According to the City of Victoria website, it was built in 1956 by a team led by the Kwakiutl tribal chief, Mungo Martin.

It has beautiful carvings on it, with incredible details. It's been restored, so the amazing artwork is still really vibrant.

The average life of a totem pole is around 50 years, the website said, making this one even more special.

"Tradition sees old totem poles return to the earth at the end of their natural lives so that stories can continue for future generations," it explained.

"Within 10 years, the Beacon Hill Park Story Pole will be lowered to allow it to share its rich history and stories with the earth," it said.

So, if you want to see this incredible work of craftsmanship, you should get there before it's too late.

The pole stands at 127 feet, which is so tall you can barely see the top.

It almost looks as if it's defying gravity.

It's hard to tell actually how big it is, until you see a person standing next to it who looks like an ant.

On the website, it specifies that it was the tallest one in the world "when installed," but it doesn't look like any have surpassed it yet.

B.C. is also home to another towering totem pole, in Alert Bay, which stands at 173 feet tall, but isn't free standing.

Explore this list   👀

    • Editor

      Morgan Leet (she/her) is an Editor for Narcity Media Group. After graduating from Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, she jumped into fulfilling her dream as a journalist, merging her passion for travelling with writing. After working in the print media world on Canada’s East Coast, she joined Narcity with a move to B.C., drawn to the beauty of Western Canada. Since then, she's documented her experience moving to Vancouver, covering everything from local events to bucket-list travel destinations across Canada's West Coast.

    5 overrated tourist spots in BC and where to go instead, according to a local

    I'm not going to come for the steam clock, don't worry.

    This enchanting small town set on a BC island was named among North America's 'most peaceful'

    Sandy beaches, ancient forests and a cozy town — anyone?. 🌲

    This Ontario gem with waterfront towns and beaches is one of Canada's 'best' spots to live

    It has "large" homes "priced much lower" than major Canadian cities.

    New data reveals the 'most peaceful' places to live and Canadian towns demolished US ones

    Five Canadian towns were named the most serene on the continent. 🍁