British Columbia
After hanging a left at Jasper, AB, we continued Day 8 of our transcontinental trek by cruising across Canada’s westernmost province along the Yellowhead Highway (B.C. Highway 16), northern route of the Trans-Can. Completed in 1970, the highway is named for a pass across the Rockies through which a native trapper, nicknamed Tête Jaune (French for “Yellow Head”), led a Hudson's Bay Company expedition in 1820.Unfortunately for us, between the dismally cloudy skies and featureless expanses of forest, there were few photo opportunities along the way.
Black bear along the Yellowhead Highway west of Prince George
| Prince GeorgeBritish Columbia’s “northern capital” began in 1807 as an isolated fur trading post, named Fort George after Britain’s King George III. Its fortunes changed with the coming of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and the founding of the modern city of Prince George in 1915. The population swelled further after the construction of several pulp mills in the 1960s, and Prince George is now the second-largest city in British Columbia, after Vancouver.That being said, there are not a whole lot of tourist attractions in Prince George. If you ever find yourself passing through, we recommend the charming Bedford Place bed and breakfast, run by Ruth & Walt Thielman. |
The Hazeltons
Day 9 found us venturing farther west along the Yellowhead Highway, following the Nechako and Bulkley River valleys towards The Hazeltons. This collection of villages near the confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers offers a charming mix of Native culture and frontier spirit. Its main attractions are the ‘Ksan Historical Village, a reconstructed Gitxsan settlement celebrating the rich heritage of local First Nation peoples.
Hagwilget Bridge over the Bulkley River
- Click here for more photos from The Hazeltons.
Prince Rupert
At long last, we finally reached the Pacific on Day 10 of our adventure, coming to the end of the Yellowhead Highway in Prince Rupert. This town was established in 1906 as the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Its name, a reference to the 17th-century governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, was chosen as part of a public competition sponsored by the railway president, Charles Hays, who later went down aboard the Titanic. Prince Rupert’s role as a transportation hub was assured with the establishment of ferry service to Alaska in the 1960s, and it was from here that we embarked aboard the M/V Matanuska for the journey to our ultimate destination.
Approaching Prince Rupert on the Yellowhead Highway