Northern British Columbia - Telkwa to Prince Rupert

2022 May 17 to 24

 Our plans for this trip differ from those for our previous “big trips”; we plan to spend every second week working remotely, or at least available, giving us 9 days of traveling and 5 days of remote work every fortnight. This is new for us and we look forward to learning how it works out. We spent the first of the “remote work weeks” in Telkwa, with the first day spent in Prince George, although we had no online meetings that day.

Telkwa

 

Telkwa proved to be a beautiful spot for a stay during a working week. The Inn at the Creamery is alongside the riverbank, a comfortable place to stay with lots of character. We were on our own while staying, although, on the first day, there was a birthday party in the afternoon to which we found ourselves invited to join and were made very welcome. At the end of our stay, the “birthday girl”, Dee, with her daughter Elaine, and Elaine’s husband Steve, guided us through the sights to the north of Smithers, which was highly appreciated.

 

While in Telkwa we were able to make some local trips and went to Telkwa Lake and Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, where one can see fossils.

 

 

On the way to Chapman Lake, we saw a mother black bear and two cubs, which had been reported to be in the area, and saw another black bear on our way back. We also enjoyed visiting Art and Soul Ceramics, where we acquired ceramic cups that are now used for our daily morning coffee and tea at night.

 

Smithers is the nearest town, about 20 minutes away, and convenient to handle various tasks and acquisitions, as well as providing an opportunity to sample the products of the local breweries. There, we went to Creation Station and enjoyed conversation with the two artists in the workshop, Mark Tworow and Mark Thibeault.

 

On leaving Telkwa we met Dee, Elaine, and Steve on our way out of Smithers, and they guided us for the rest of that day, taking us to see Witset Canyon, where fish are gaffed (when they’re running), New Hazelton, Hagwilget Bridge, Kispiox (where traditional totem poles are dating back as far as 1866); and to the ‘Ksan Historical Village and Museum, after which we camped at the ‘Ksan campsite. Many thanks to you for your generosity in showing us around. 

 

 

 

 In the morning we walked to the confluence, enjoying the scenery, then to Old and New Hazelton, in turn, before heading out on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway: we stopped at Kitwanga (Gitwangak) to see the totem poles, Gitwangak Battle Hill, the Gitanyow totem poles, and Kitwancool Lake, seeing a black bear briefly in the trees at the water’s edge.

Terrace and Kitimaat

Our next stop was Terrace, with a stop at Big Oliver Canyon on the way. After a stop in town, we headed off on the old Lakelse Road to Lakelse Provincial Park, where we camped at Furlong Campground. The campground was full – a surprise after having been either alone or with a few other campers at all of our campsites so far. It turned out to be a holiday long weekend and was also one of the first sunny weekends, so everyone was out to enjoy the lake.

From here we headed south, seeking to visit the Wetlands Park, although this proved unsuccessful since the level of wetness was yet too high, and then to Kitimat/Kitimaat Village, where we could walk along the coast of a beautiful forest. 

 

We then headed back to Terrace and followed the highway west, taking full advantage of Elaine’s suggestions for sites of interest - the Kitsumkalum totem pole, the MMIW totem pole, Exchampsiks River, the railway tunnel, an impressive waterfall, Khyex River, the petroglyphs, and Prince Edward Bridge, arriving at Kinnickinnik campground just outside Prince Rupert on a rainy evening. We went into the town to explore, returning to the campsite for the night. 

  

Prince Rupert

One of the few things we had booked was with Prince Rupert Adventure Tours, on the “Inside Passage” to go to the Khutzeymateen Inlet Park. Here one can see Grizzlies on the inlet shoreline – we saw 10, in all. We also saw bald eagles and enjoyed the stunning coastal scenery. 

 

 

We had poutine for lunch at Bob’s on the Rocks, after that we walked the Rushbrook Trail and then made our way to our BnB, taking advantage of the opportunity while in Prince Rupert.

Sadly, the highly recommended Museum of Northern British Columbia was closed (as had been the case with many other museums and cultural centers). We walked Cow Bay, took care of some tasks, and then drove to the North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site, which proved interesting and open (although the café was closed…).

Our next stages of the trip:

We plan to head north, initially east to Terrace and then north on the Nisga’a Highway, to join the Stewart Cassier Highway again and continue northwards…

Additional items to handle:

We’ve now sorted all of the tasks we identified. We picked up spare fuses and bulbs for the vehicle in Smithers, and now have everything planned (although perhaps not everything we'll need…).

Hugs

Alan & Marce