August 12, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Parks
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The BC Peace Region is full of a wide assortment of wonderful wildlife. Since we are situated in vast areas of open wilderness, wildlife is never far from your front door. A very common visitor to country gardens is deer. You will probably see these everywhere, especially in the early morning and at dawn. They are frequent residences of farmer’s fields which, when you travel through the North East BC Region, are generally right beside the road! These guys are the smaller cousin’s of moose and elk. In our area, we have two species of deer: white tail and mule deer. You can distinguish these two apart by the colour of their tails! White tails, as you can probably guess, have a white, fluffy tail where as mule deer have a black tipped tail. Mule deer are the most common out of the two kinds you’ll see here, but every now and then you will catch a glimpse of a fluffy white tail bouncing through a field!
Another common face you’re going to see in the BC Peace is the deer’s big cousin: the moose! The moose has become synonymous with Canada, and is one of our most recognizable wildlife visitors. Moose are large, awkward, and generally placid animals but they should not be confused as being friendly. Their funny faces and knobby knees make it seem like they would be great company, but in reality these guys are better left alone. It's always best to use caution when traveling early in the morning and the evening, as moose are more active on the roads around this time.
There are more than just moose and deer in this area though! There are brown bears, black bears, elusive cougars, lynx in the mountains and of course the infamous grizzly bear. If birding is more your thing, natural wetlands that litter the Peace Region country side attract a large variety of birds that are sure to peak your interest! From loons, to Canadian geese, to (my personal favourite) the friendly whiskey jacks (or grey jay/camp robber, etc). There are many different kinds of small mammals in our area as well! Such as the temperamental wolverine, sly weasel, and majestic flying squirrels! The squirrels obviously don’t have wings up here, but they do have extra flaps of skin that work like wings as they leap and glide from tree to tree.
The Peace Region offers a wide range of different wildlife that you are sure to encounter up here, what I’ve talked about is not even the tip of it all! There is such a large variety here to discover that I am sure you’re constantly going to be entertained by our region’s wonderful wild animal activity.
August 14, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Parks
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Whew, temperatures are soaring in the Peace and heaven knows we need a place to cool off. Dawson Creek has just the place for that. A little man-made swimming watering hole that is located on the North end of town. The area is now open to the public and is a great location to have a picnic, or play outdoor activities, in and out of the water!
On this particular ‘hot’ day in Dawson Creek, I took my book and sat beneath a tree for a couple of hours ~ it was quite serene. For the family goers, there are public washrooms and a kid’s playground available. There is also the Walter Wright Pioneer Village just a hop, skip and jump across the way to take a tour through. The village is a wonderful break from the water activities and is a step back in time with a collection of historic artifacts from in and around the Dawson Creek area. This is a definite hot spot to check out (or should I say cool spot) on a warm summer day in Dawson Creek!
September 22, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Parks
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When we travel, we take picnic lunches with us so that we can stop, stretch our legs and let the dog out for a walk.
We were told that Heart Lake is a beautiful place to stop in the Pine Pass between Dawson Creek and Prince George. It's on the Hart Highway about 230 km (142 miles) northeast of Prince George. We had never been there so decided to check it out.
A simple sign on the side of the highway says "Heart Lake." A short winding, well-maintained road took us to a pretty little lake in the actual shape of a heart. Beautiful indeed. What a hidden treasure.
We stopped, let our dog take a swim and sat on a picnic table beside the lake, spread our tablecloth and enjoyed the beautiful alpine surroundings while we are our lunch. There were people out in a canoe enjoying the water.
There is a nice looking campground in the trees winding along the banks of the lake. There is a sign that says the lake itself is regularly stocked with Rainbow Trout. We didn't have time to fish, but we have plans to go back with our kayaks and fishing gear. We will leave the dog at home.
March 17, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Parks
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When you are ready to take a break from driving and want to spend some time hiking, fishing or wildlife viewing, Dawson Creek has several great provincial parks just for you.
Swan Lake Provincial Park: 35 km/22 miles south of Dawson Creek on Highway #2 towards the Alberta border. There is a short drive off the highway on a gravel road. Swan Lake is open from early May to early September and has 42 vehicle-accessible campsites, a boat launch and dock. A great place for boating, hiking, walking, and bird watching.
One Island Lake Provincial Park: One Island Lake is an hour and a half or so south of Dawson Creek on Highway #2 (for 30km /18 miles) and then a right turn off the highway for the rest of the way with some gravel. This park is noted for its trout fishing, so make sure you bring your fishing gear. One Island has picnicking, boating and swimming. This is a favorite getaway for locals.
Kiskatinaw Provincial Park: Open mid May to the end of September each year, this beautiful park is tucked below the world famous curved wooden bridge over the Kiskatenaw River (a historical piece of the Alaska Highway). The bridge has been bypassed so it is quiet and a great place to stop. You'll want fresh batteries in your camera.
If you are looking for more information on camping and RV sites/services available in Dawson Creek, make sure you check out the Visitors Information Center located in the N.A.R. Park on Alaska Avenue.
Depending on your needs (power water, sani-dumps, showers etc), the folks there can point you in the right direction. Time to relax...