July 09, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Outdoor Activity Tours
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Thinking of Northeastern BC for your next adventure? If not, you should! Here you will find unsurpassed nature, a rich and vibrant history, and a way of life that is addictive. Here are just some of attractions you will enjoy.
5. Natural Attractions
If you enjoy a walk on the wild side, Dawson Creek and the surrounding area are strategically located for all your outdoor and wilderness needs. While visiting Dawson Creek, you will not want to miss the waterfowl refuge at McQueen’s Slough. Here you will find a plethora of birds and waterfowl; a must see for the birding enthusiast. The Radar Lake Community Forest offers a piece of tranquility near an urban setting. This area offers numerous well-marked interpretive trails where you can learn about local flora and fauna while strolling through peaceful natural surroundings. If you are looking for something close by, why not experience our natural ‘green belt’ which takes you through our beautiful City. Looking for a picnic? Visit one of Dawson Creek’s many city parks.
4. Festivals, events and much more
With the numerous activities, attractions Dawson Creek and the surrounding area has many events and festivals that will complement anyone’s vacation. There are to many to list, however, go to our website where you will find a complete and up to date listing.
www.tourismdawsoncreek.com
3. Farmer’s Market
Pure food, pure enjoyment! The Farmer’s Market is a favourite activity and major attraction for visitors and residents alike, offering a wide variety of locally owned, grown and produced crops and crafts for your enjoyment. REMEMBER, as the old saying goes, “Those who arrive first get the best selection”.
2. Station Museum
Housed in an original Northern Alberta Railway station built in 1931, this historic museum offers a glimpse into the notable past of Dawson Creek. Dawson Creek was once the “end of the line”; the train station in the early years has been expanded to make this building unique to all the other train stations of its kind in Canada. Here you will find a wide variety of railway memorabilia, pioneer artifacts and wildlife displays. Throughout the day, a video entitled “The Alaska Highway, 1942 - 1992” is shown continuously for museum visitors. This fascinating program depicts the history of the building of the Alaska Highway using rare archival material and is a “must see” for history buffs.
1. W. A. C. Bennet Dam & Kinuseo Falls
A couple great day excursions from Dawson Creek are the W.A.C Bennet Dam and Kinuseo Fall. There’s so much to explore in Northern BC.
The W. A. C. Bennet Dam is one of the largest earth filled dams in the world. It is truly an amazing site to see, visit and experience! This dam is scenically located about two hours from Dawson Creek. This attraction is not to be missed.
Kinuseo Falls in Monkman Provincial Park is one of the great waterfalls of North America and is not to be missed by any visitor. There is much more to enjoy in this park, including the highly recommended Stone Corral interpretive hiking trail, which leads for four kilometers through a fascinating karst environment of lakes, cliffs and small caves. The twenty-four km (one way) hike in to Monkman Lake includes a short side-excursion to The Cascades, a dramatic series of ten waterfalls in Monkman Creek.
July 09, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Accommodation
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Dunne-za Lodge is an absolutely beautiful vacation destination. Located on the North- West shore of Moberly Lake the lodge offers an amazing view of Moberly's sparkling water with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the lake and surrounding area. Relax by kayaking or canoeing on the serene, crystal water, or enjoy some nature trails; the West-Moberly area is well-known for its abundance of eagles, including the endangered Bald Eagle. Further enhance your time by staying in one of the lodge's teepees, which allow you to spend a night under the stars, and appreciate the silence of a night in the forest.
In addition to the teepees, Dunne-za Lodge has four cabins available for accomodation. These cabins are beautifully furnished, and include a kitchen area and shower. Accomodating 3 to 4 people, these cabins are perfect for a family vacation, with a separate bedroom for parents seeking peace and quiet.
The Dunne-za Lodge also provides a unique cultural experience for those interested in Dunne-za/Cree traditions. The lodge managers regularly smoke meat in traditional fashion, and is decorated with in traditional art work. In Febraury, the lodge holds a Winter Spirit Festival in cooperation with Chetwynd Spirit Week. This festival includes hand drumming, traditional hand games, snowshoeing, a soup and bannock concession, ice fishing and much more! This free festival is a favourite of the locals and open to visitors.
The Dunne-za Lodge is a fantastic resort, located in a beautiful area, with fabulous activites and accomodation.
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.
July 03, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Hudson's Hope, Fishing
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The Peace Country of Northern BC shares a special place in the hearts of many. After recently moving here myself, I have found that I am growing to love it here as well. My name is Erin, and some co-workers and I decided to do a little exploring around our area. One of the places we went to was the Williston Lake Resort, near Hudson's Hope.
The Peace Country boasts nature's delights: plentiful fields, snow capped mountains, rolling hills, lush forests and sparkling lakes—my co-workers and I were amazed at the scenery.
As soon as we entered the lodge, I loved it right away. The Williston Lodge was built in the traditional log cabin style, with each of its logs hewn by hand for a beautifully seamless fit. The lodge is a work of art.
Not only is it beautiful, but the lodge is an excellent place to vacation and recharge, as it offers many lounging areas, including a large, sun-drenched balcony that is perfect for reclining. I felt like I was on an exotic island somewhere, just soaking up all those UV rays. It was great and wonderfully relaxing.
The Lodge offers a lot of activites that I didn't have time to do, but would have loved to. In the summer, there is fishing, horseback riding, ATV adventures and hiking. Winter guests who enjoying skiing or snowboarding will have the opportunity to ski the local mountains and enjoy the fresh powder. During the winter season there is also snowmobiling, ice fishing, cross-country skiing and wildlife observation.
The Williston Lodge Resort is a gem that sparkles in the Peace and draws travelers from far and near. After spending a short visit to the lodge, I was beckoned back for a second stay.
May 31, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Outdoor Activity Tours
On May 2nd, 2009 the Tourism Dawson Creek Visitor Centre staff embarked on a fun filled familiarization tour of the communities surrounding Dawson Creek. After leaving Dawson Creek at approximately 8:30am we began our trip by heading to Chetwynd on Highway 97S. On our way we stopped to take pictures of the beautiful Pine River and then caught a glimpse of some deer eating on the side of the road. When we arrived in Chetwynd at 9:30am we drove through town and stopped at the Visitor Centre to find out about the community. One of the main attractions is the Annual International Chainsaw Carving Championship that happens during the month of June. On display throughout the community are over fifty chainsaw carvings from previous championships. After speaking with the visitor counselor we took a stroll through town to see the many amazing carvings. At 10:00 we started our trip to the Hudson’s Hope W.A.C. Bennett Dam one of the largest earth filled dams in the world. We missed the scheduled tours offered of the dam mid-May through September. What a beautiful drive through the lovely town of Hudson’s Hope located in the Rocky Mountain foothills and on the twenty minute drive to the dam. We had packed a picnic for lunch so we went up to one of the lookouts at the dam to eat and stretch our legs. After leaving the dam we stopped at the Visitor Info Centre and found out that there are some great hiking trails, fishing, boating, and one of the richest sites of fossils and dinosaur footprints in the world. We then made our way to Fort St. John which was about 90 km away. It ended up being a wonderful trip with beautiful scenery, wildlife, and warm hospitality.
May 28, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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Yesterday I got to go see the Walter Wright Pioneer Village in the beautiful town of Dawson Creek. According to the Self Guided Walking Tour, all of the buildings are originally from the Dawson Creek district. Walter Wright himself went out to the farm fields around the area and collected or bought all of the buildings. There are amazing houses from some of the pioneering families. I couldn’t imagine living in such a small log house with no running water! The houses are all refurbished with quilts, china, clothing, and household necessities from the era. Beautiful pianos can be found in both of the churches and some of the houses. In the Johnson-Davis house there are four antique SINGER sewing machines, all in beautiful condition. When I walked further down the wooden boardwalks I got the feeling of a true pioneer town. I stepped into the General Store and was amazed at the variety of items the store sold. The antique cash register was the highlight, for me. To see a horse collar, and single tree was quite interesting. Across the gravel street is the Blacksmith shop. There is an abundance of tools and a forge. On one of the walls there are many cross-cutting saws; that were used before the power-saw for cutting logs for buildings. In the village there are two school houses, both full of school desks, books, maps, and pictures.
Further out on the lawn and under covered sheds lays the machinery. There are multiple horse drawn thrashers and other farm equipment. Closer up to the Visitor Center two bulldozers can be found. One was so tiny I can’t fathom how it moved any dirt or snow. The other was a much larger, bright red one. I really enjoyed my experience at Pioneer Village.
May 17, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort Nelson, Sightseeing Tours
Along the 2.5 hour drive northwest of Fort Nelson my family and I saw some beautiful scenery. We wound our way up the Steamboat Mountain to see breath taking mountain ranges and the Muskwa River way below. Then we drove further to the highest lake along the Alaska Hwy. – Summit Lake. It was beautiful and cold with some snow on the mountain tops. There were tons of mountain sheep climbing around on cliffs right beside the road and they were on the road too licking salt. Finally we came down off of the high mountain roads to Toad River town, we saw some elk and moose down near the town. Past there we wound our way along a very twisty part of the highway, right beside the Racing River. About an hour after Toad River we were at Muncho Lake. We got to stop at the Double G services and eat lunch at the bakery. It was a nice friendly place with really good home cooked food . . . I ate way too much! Then we poked around the area. We hiked up some of the old washes from the flood of ‘74. It was really easy walking and we got to see the awing effects of Mother Nature. There was so much debris that had been washed down to the lake and the amount of rock that made up the wash was dumb founding. Then we drove just past the north end of the lake and on the left side of the road we saw there was sheep licks that we could walk too. There was a nice gravel parking lot with a great view of the mountains. We walked down the short trail to see the salt saturated ground that the animals in the area come to get salt. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any wildlife but it was interesting to see none- the- less. After that we drove on to the Laird Hotsprings. The road was so hilly and I couldn’t believe that the mountains were still so beautiful. Slowly we wound our way down to cross the Laird River then up onto an old terrace on the other side. On our right was the Laird Hotsprings Lodge which we stayed the night at. And the hotsprings was on the left. So we walked over through the campsite and down the boardwalks over really swampy ground. After a 5 minute walk we could see the hotsprings. It was getting cool out so the warm water was very nice!! I am too much of a wimp so I stayed in the lowest pool because it was cool. But my family went into the upper pools because they were way warmer. It was too cool walking around the lowest pool and there was willow trees and others leaning in over the pool.
January 23, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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Hi,
My name is Katie Perry and I just moved to Dawson Creek from Prince Edward Island, Canada. Since my husband and I have arrived in October there has been lots to see and do. We have taken in a couple movies at the local theatre, went skating on a outdoor rink, went to the casino and tested our luck, went to the Encana Events Centre and used the walking track, and did a little touring around town. Next week we plan to go skiing up on Bear Mountain, take in a free skate at Memorial Arena, and go bowling. There is much more to do here in Dawson Creek than I ever would have guessed.
Katie Perry