July 11, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Sightseeing Tours
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We finished up at the
K’san Historical Village & Museum then continued on the beautiful Pioneer style Village of Hazelton. The first thing we did was eat! We had to meet our tour guide at 1 and it was 12:30 so we had to eat fast. Some of us went to the cozy coffee shop of Mercedes Beans and Model Teas and got some good food and drinks, while the remaining people went to the BC Café that has been taken over by new owners and has had a ‘face lift’ the food was great and hospitality was even better.
Once we enjoyed our wonderful lunches we went down the River Boat where we met Carmen, our tour guide. She led us around Old Hazelton and told us some of the great history of the area. We saw the old Anglican Church that was built in the 1900’s and is still used for services today. We saw a building that looks like a River Boat. It is a replica of the original S.S Essington paddlewheel, which use to travel up the Bulkley River from Prince Rupert, delivering Hudson Bay merchandise to Hazelton. After we walked all around Old Hazelton we went into the Library that has a museum in it. In there they have information on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, medical history of all the Wrinch Memorial Hospitals we have had, logging and mining information. So many things to see!
The tour of Old Hazelton is free and only takes an hour and you will learn so much about the area and how little old Hazelton came to be. After the tour we went into the River Boat which is now an art gallery. Many locals have their art on display in the gallery, it is so nice to see local art on display and ready for anyone who wants to go and see it. After seeing the sights of Old Hazelton we drove back up towards New Hazelton but, before we got to New Hazelton we stopped and walked along an apart of the Eagle Down Trail that goes all the way from Hagwilget Bridge to Old Hazelton. About 200m from the bridge there is a stop with picnic tables and benches and you can sit and look at the beautiful Hagwilget Canyon. We continued along the trail for a ways and ended up at the bridge, we walked across this massive bridge then we walked all the way down the trail to the water. It is wonderful under the bridge and you can just sit and watch the water flow by, it is so calm and serene. After hanging out for a while we headed back up the trail. Going down is just fine, it is always going back up that gets you though. It is a pretty steep trail but it is totally worth it. It was a great day to see the Hazelton’s and meet the people from the other Visitor Centres.
July 10, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Historic & Heritage Sites
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On Wednesday, July 6th Hazelton Visitor Centre along with Smithers and Terrace Visitor Centre’s went on a tour of the Hazelton’s. We met at Hazelton Visitor Centre at 10 and then headed out to see the sights of the Hazelton area. We started out by driving along the Kispiox Valley Road out to Kispiox Village where we saw some beautiful Totem Poles. There are fifteen Totem Poles along the river where the Kispiox and Skeena River combine into just the Skeena.
After taking a billion pictures and looking at the Totem Poles we continued on to the next stop which wasn’t very far. We stopped at the Cultural Centre which is right in Kispiox Village and though we were rushed we went inside and saw all the beautiful native artwork that was on display. We then continued back to Hazelton where we stopped at K’san Historical Village & Museum.
Now, I have lived in Hazelton for 18 years and I have never been on an actual tour of K’san. I have been down there plenty of times, but have never gotten a tour and I must say I have been missing out! We aren’t even inside the buildings yet and you can feel the power of the ancient civilization in the air. The feeling K’san gives you make you feel like you are actually in a village and you want to learn more. So, the tour starts and as soon as you walk in the smells, the look everything makes you feel like you are in a real longhouse years and years ago. The audio voice tells you about how the First Nations lived in the old days and how things worked. They also tell you about how the First Nations live today. It is neat because you go along the time line and learn about the culture. It is hard to explain, all I have to say is go to K’san, spend 45 minutes of your day to get totally immersed and learn about the Native culture.
July 03, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Terrace, Cruises & Boat Tours
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It was a beautiful drive up Highway 113 to the Nass Valley; the weather wasn’t that great but it still doesn’t hide the beauty of the area. We stopped at a “peeing tree”. What is a peeing tree you may ask? Well, it is just a cottonwood tree. Cottonwood trees take lots of water from the ground that go up to their leaves and limbs. They drill a hole in the tree and intercept the water that is going up the trunk. It makes the perfect drinking water. Stop there and fill up your water bottles for a nice refreshing drink!
Also, on the way up there is a river called Kalum River and supposedly has some of the best Salmon fishing in the area. There is also Kalum Lake, which is 12km long and 450ft deep. It is huge and seemed like it went on and on and on as we drove down the highway. Along the highway you pass through a small community called Rosswood. In February 2010 a couple found a Kermode bear den in the back country while hiking and put a camera in the den to record the bear throughout the season as it moved around the den. They set it up so that the video was live-streaming onto the internet and people from all over could keep tabs on the bear. They named the bear Apollo and also posted it on Youtube for people to see. This was a great beginning for what was still to come!
July 03, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Terrace, Historic & Heritage Sites
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The Hazelton Area Visitor Centre went on a FAM tour of the Nass Valley on Tuesday, June 28! We woke up early and headed to Terrace, BC, where we met the crew from their Visitor Centre along with Brian, our Split Mountain Adventures Tour Guide. We started our tour at the North West Community College and saw some beautiful art work from the students in the school. Some of the art work from the students is chosen to be displayed in Vancouver and other parts of BC. There are totem poles out in front to the college that represent learning. There is another totem pole out in the parking lot called Seven Nations Pole that was raised seven years ago. The totem pole represents all the different nations that go to the school. Usually totem poles would only represent one nation, one clan and tell a single story or legend, but this pole represents the seven nations that make up the school, as a sign of unity for the school. There are some carvings in the school that were made in 1987. The same person who did these carvings is also carving a pole for Riverboat days which is taking place during July 29 – August 7. The artwork made it a great place to start our tour!