July 17, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Dining
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Exploring northern BC really works up an appetite! During my day in Smithers, I decided to check out Trackside Cantina, which serves up fresh and delicious Mexican cuisine. Since it was a beautiful day, my friend and I grabbed a table on the patio to enjoy the sun and the gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. With its colourful decor and lively music, it really felt like a little piece of Mexico in the valley! Everything on the menu sounded delicious but I finally decided on the chicken quesadilla with rice and beans. When our food arrived, we were not disappointed! The food was fresh and tasty, and we both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. With quick service, a fun and festive atmosphere, and delicious Mexican cuisine, I would definitely recommend Trackside Cantina as a place to stop for a bite in Smithers!
July 17, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Arts, Culture & History Tours
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This afternoon, I had the chance to explore the Bulkley Valley Museum in Smithers. The museum is housed in a beautiful heritage building built in 1925, which used to serve as the Smithers Court House. After signing the guest book, and browsing through the names of visitors from around the world, I began to explore the many exhibits and artifacts on display. I started out with the glacier exhibit, which describes how these awe-inspiring frozen rivers have shaped our beautiful British Columbian landscape. Next I checked out the fossil display, which showcases some fascinating prehistoric remains of the valley. Moving through the rest of the exhibits, I learned all about the social and technological development of Smithers and the Bulkley Valley. One thing I was surprised and interested to learn about was Smithers' "Gift to Civilization"-the invention of the egg carton! Smithers' resident Joseph Coyle created this handy little invention in 1911, as well as many other valuable everyday items like the first automobile anti-theft club and pocket cigarette cutter. I had a chat with the friendly staff, browsed through the cozy gift shop and then went on my way feeling very much informed about the history of the beautiful Bulkley Valley.
July 17, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Recreation Sports
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I absolutely love how bright and warm our summer nights are! Lately, the sun hasn’t set until 10 o’clock so the light evenings provide plenty of time for leisure activities. It seems the longer the sun is out, the later I stay up so my sleep has been lacking, but I feel that I truly am making the most of my summer. The last couple of nights after I’ve gotten off work, I have hit the paved walking trails that surround Fort St. John. During the evenings, the trails are flooded with people walking, running, biking, and rollerblading. These paths are also very popular spots for dogs and strollers. The extensive trail system extends for over 10 km with a variety of starting points and many interpretive signs. My favourite area of the route extends north on 100th street and then west towards the west by-pass road because the path is surrounded by lush vegetation. With summer in full-swing, the countless shades of green can be enjoyed while getting some exercise. The other night, I saw several beautiful wild roses, bluebells, and many other colorful flowers that I unfortunately couldn’t identify. Moose, beavers, and birds also occupy the area, so I suggest always being out on the lookout for wildlife! It’s great that I can enjoy the wilderness while walking on a paved trail right inside the city’s limits.
July 16, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Granisle, Attractions
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On my northwest BC road trip, I took a little detour to check out the community of Granisle. It was a gorgeous afternoon and I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the surroundings. The community is situated on pristine Babine Lake, which is the longest freshwater lake in BC. The lake offers prime fishing and boating as well as a picnic area, which is the perfect spot to stop for snack. Also, the surrounding area provides plenty of hiking and camping opportunities. Granisle is a great place to enjoy the natural beauty of the north!
July 16, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Houston, Dining
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I am currently out exploring northwest BC for the first time and this afternoon I had the pleasure of stopping in at the Tea Gallery With a Twist in Houston. I was excited to find that there were over 60 types of tea to choose from, as well as a tasty looking assortment of scones and baked confections. After browsing through the amazing selection of teas, all of which looked delicious, I finally decided on Vanilla Chai. While my friend and I waited for our selections, we had the opportunity to browse through the neat items for sale in the Tea Gallery including beautiful tea sets, candles and unique gift items. After the knowledgeable and friendly owner served our tea, we were delighted by our choices and even ended up buying a few packages of tea to take home! We spent some time enjoying the Gallery, then took the rest of our tea to go and went to see the World's Largest Fly Rod just across the street. Situated in beautiful Steelhead Park, the rod is 60 feet long and weighs about 800 pounds! If you happen to be passing through the area, I would definitely recommend stopping in Houston and checking out some of their unique attractions. Check out The Tea Gallery With a Twist and enjoy a cup of one of their many unique teas!
July 16, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Hiking
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Upon a recent excursion into Northern BC and looking for relief from the wonderful summer heat we discouvered the Ancient Rain Forest 111km east of Prince George on the Yellowhead Highway. This little treasure is well known amongst the locals in Prince George and McBride; however, typically I am in a hurry to get to Jasper National Park and rarely take time out of my travels to explore this little gems.
Although the turn off to the Ancient Forest is a little hard to find (especially if your having philosophical debates with your buddies) keep your eyes peel to the right side of the road (the turn off to the parking lot is located just past the Driscoll Ridge turn off). The trail typically starts from the right hand side and the heavy moisture rich smell that is typically associated with the coastal forests will begin to invaded your olfactory senses. As you make your way up the trail, the smell of the rainforest will draw you in even more. Follow up the trail to find the Big Tree- this is the oldest and biggest tree within this rainforest; on the way there be sure to you stop for a photo at the massive cedar tree that you can `lift`with your bare hands.
From the Big Tree, you are taken into the cedar ciricle- be sure you look up to see the ciricle of trees as they tower up above you. We just had to take the panaoramic shot as we circled under neath the spiraling trees. From the cedar circle, we found ourselves at the water fall were we were able to forlick in the water for a little. The water fall lead us to the dead beard area and from dead beard we made our way back to the parking lot
The Ancient Rain Forest is truely ahidden gem of Prince George and northern BC and one that should be on everyone`s to do list- whether you are a resident or visitor.
July 15, 2012 | Tips from Us >
Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands, Beaches & Swimming
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If you're not local, Tlell is a difficult name to roll off the tongue! It's pronounced "Tull-ell" and is a small community on Haida Gwaii. When I say small...I mean no hospital or bank, a couple of restaurants, and houses spread here and there. If you're looking for a peaceful place to stay or to hangout, it's perfect!
Environment Canada has kept true to its promising forecast, and Haida Gwaii has just been blessed with copious amounts of sunshine, with more on it's way! Last week my friends and I ventured up north to Tlell for the day...the coastline presents many beach options, the perfect choices for suntanning and swimming!
To drive there it takes about an hour. We had the windows down, the music cranked up and we drove the highway along the coastline - it really is a beautiful drive! You can see eagles and deers commonly, but sometimes will you see a black bear! We drove past Balance Rock, St. Mary's Spring, and continued until we came to the Crow's Nest. It's a small grocery store and restaurant. We stopped for lunch, and I had the beef samosa with a garden salad - it was very tasty! We grabbed a few drinks and snacks when we finished, and drove a bit further to the beach.
Most of the beaches on Haida Gwaii are covered in rocks and pebbles. However, in Tlell you can find a few with sand or sandy areas. We laid out our towels and soaked up the rays for a few hours. The ocean waters are quite cold, and my friends decided to swim...I decided not to, but that didn't matter to them. I ended up in the water and swam around for a little while. Nothing perks you up better than a dunk in freezing, salty water!
On the beach we found some really neat agates and shells. At the Visitor Centre we sell small books about how to identify pebbles and shells - I thought they would have been quite useful for our beachcombing!
With the car filled with tanned and wet bodies, as well as the unavoidable amounts of sand on the carpeted flooring, we called the day a success and headed back home to Queen Charlotte City. So if you're thinking of visiting the islands one day, don't forget about Tlell's beaches!
July 15, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Outdoor Activity Tours
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The Village of Telkwa is just minutes from Smithers, it is where the Telkwa and Bulkley rivers meet. The backroads this area has to offer are full of adventures like hiking, biking, wildlife sightings, camping, fishing, and snowmobiling in the winter. A few days ago, we traveled through, starting on Coalmine Road and driving up Hydro Hill for an amazing view over-looking the valley and mountians. The presented picture is taken from the top of Hydro Hill. As we continued, we drove to a campsite located on the Telkwa river, and let the dogs out for a swim and drink. The sound was peaceful as the river flowed by us but it was time to carry on our way. We drove by the Telkwa Caribou Herd Recovery Project zone. There was once an abundance of Caribou in our area, but they now face extinction here. This area is protected from the public with a locked gate, in hopes of increasing the Caribou population again. We carried on our way and made it to our final destination, "the Microwave". This area is known by snowmobilers as a place that gets lots of powder in the winter, ideal to play and carve up the snow. Visiting in summertime means it was nice and sunny, so we parked the truck and walked up the mountian while enjoying the views. With this area full of hills, mountains, trees, and flowing water, I'm happy to call Telkwa home, where stepping out of the town and into the wilderness is just minutes away.
July 15, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Hudson's Hope, Sightseeing Tours
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For the first time in 10 years the WAC Bennett Dam in Hudson's Hope BC had its spillway open, and what a sight it was to see.
Apparently since the dam's opening in the late 60's it has only spilled 9 times, so those of us who were lucky enough to see all that water gushing from the side of a hill this year can count ourselves as special people.
I remember the very first time I got to see the dam spill, it was in the late 1990's and I was barely 8 or 9 years old - the excitement definitely has not been lost at all.
When I first heard that the gates were open, not only at the WAC Bennett Dam but also as the smaller Peace Canyon Dam, I felt like a child again.
There is nothing like seeing a man made dam, made from natural materials, and nothing at all compares to that sight of thousands of gallons of water gushing from a hole in the side of the hill. Naturally, given my love for the extreme, I had to make a trip back up Highway 29 to see!
So it was set, I headed up there with some wonderful ladies from work and we made sure to spend all the necessary time getting perfect pictures capturing the spill gates and of course we HAD to do the tour!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, I know I may have a nerdy side but the tour is AMAZING! I have never learnt so much in such a short period of time! The entirety of the tour makes you gaze in wonder at all that was accomplished in such a short period of time - relevant to the time period - and of course the amount of water that really courses through all of those turbines!!!
If you have an hour to spare, the tour is so worth it and if not the visitor center up at the dam site has some really neat displays of pieces from the dam!!
July 15, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Hudson's Hope, Science, Nature or Animals
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It's taken a while for me to start my adventuring around the Peace area this year, but nevertheless the time has come!
Took a leisurely drive up to Hudson's Hope the other day, from Chetwynd, and was yet again thankful to be back in the beautiful Peace Region.
Having waited as long as I did, the summer rain, and the recent heat, made the hills and ditches flourish in green leaves and gorgeous wildflowers - definitely one of my favorite things about this area in the summertime.
On my way up to Hudson's Hope I of course passed by Moberly Lake and Cameron Lake; which are both back in full swing this year after the horrible floods last June. The water was so calm, and with the sun heating up everything, I wanted nothing more than to stop, run, and jump in the lake - would have made an interesting addition to my trip. Nevertheless, being a stickler of plans and time constraints I kept on moving towards my destination.
All in all I saw some amazing natural settings, just out my own back door, and some adorable wildlife as well!!! Bears, and Deer, and Moose OH MY!