August 12, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Hiking
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If you look over the skyline in Dawson Creek you are bound to notice the wind turbines turning away on Bear Mountain. This beautiful scene is part of the Bear Mountain Wind Park, located 12.5 km outside of Dawson Creek. This wind park is the first of its kind in British Columbia and one of the most technologically advanced wind parks in the world. The type of turbines installed on Bear Mountain are called Enercon E-82’s which are gearless turbines that emit virtually no mechanical sounds making it the quietest wind technology available globally today. The wind turbines in Dawson Creek produce between 2,000 and 3,000 megawatt hours each in a year, that’s enough energy to run up to 300 households per wind turbine! With 34 turbines currently on Bear Mountain that means that in total the wind park produces enough electricity to power 10,200 households per year! The turbines are also outfitted with the most modern blades possible. These turbines are not only a marvel of modern technology they also provide an opportunity to experience the great outdoors while learning more about the benefits of green energy. Along the wind turbines (starting around turbine 24) there is a 9km walking trail. This trail provides some of the most spectacular views of Dawson Creek and the Peace Region. On a clear day it is possible to see all the way out to the Rockies. I have been out there a few times myself and I have to say that turbine 14 has the most amazing view a person could hope to see. If you’re lucky enough to arrive for sunrise or sunset it is incredible to watch the sky, valleys, mountains and of course turbines be painted with orange, purple, pink and red in the warmth of the sun. A picnic lunch, dinner or breakfast are definitely all options up on the mountain and make for a beautiful and memorable day.
July 09, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Hiking
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My name is Brenna, and I am a rather lazy hiker. BUT since my hiking experience three hours south of Dawson Creek near the Belcourt River I am starting to change my mind. My family’s plan was just to reach the summit for the afternoon but when we saw the view from the top of the mountain we just had to go further! We were hiking in Northern B.C. so my expectations were high for the view, however, I was still shocked at the beauty! It took two hours to climb from the valley floor up to the top. Then ‘we’ decided to drop down through a saddle and climb up to an even higher peak. This idea took us another hour, now we were a total of 4,5000ft in elevation. I figured that the view from the first peak was beautiful enough, but tagged along anyway – they say hiking is good exercise! Well calorie counting was the last thing on my mind when we reached the summit of the second peak – the view was perfect. I could see snow on the distant mountains and water running in the stream below. Unfortunately there was a rather large storm looming in the distance, so any further plans of going on were squashed. From the top of this peak we spotted across the valley a small herd of caribou. They were moving along the wide grassy slope, grazing as they went. On our way back down the mountain we came upon a very young kid goat. The mother must have tried to hide it when she heard us coming along, as it was too small to keep up with her as she fled the scene. It was so quiet and small. We didn’t dare touch it because then the mother might not want it back with a human scent on it. So we carried on down the trail while the baby went back into hiding. When we were nearing the bottom my foot got caught in some buck-brush and I did a flying nose dive into the moss, it was world class, I assure you. I am glad that nobody had the camera ready! When we got back into the vehicle we were all tired but felt extremely satisfied with what we had seen. I was also very happy with the distance that we had travelled over the rugged terrain.