August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Art Galleries & Artists
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The little giant has been Chetwynd’s Mascot for over 40 years! Working for the tourist information centre I always see people stopping and taking pictures with him.
One winter day Megan and I thought it would be fun to be tourists in our own town! We started out by taking pictures with all the carvings and thought it would be a good plan to pose with our Towns Mascot!! The Little Giant was great to snap some pictures with because he even had the Olympic torch with him!! It was a great way to enjoy one of the warmer, sunnier days of Chetwynd’s cold winters.
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Hiking
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Blue Lakes Trail is a 5km hike, which leads to two gorgeous
alpine lakes, glaciers, and flower meadows. Blue Lakes trail is undoubtedly one
of the most popular hikes in the Hazelton area.
On a beautiful Sunday
afternoon, my family and I went for a hike on the trail. We were not surprised
to meet over 24 people, both locals and visitors, also hiking on the freshly
groomed and incredibly well maintained trail! Some groups were even camping at
the second lake.
The brilliant
blue hue of the lakes appears to be warm and inviting, so after lunch we
decided to dip our feet into the upper lake; however, we quickly discovered
that the lakes were far too cold to even wade into, as 30 seconds in the lake
was painful!
To access Blue Lakes Trail you will travel east on Highway 16 for
9 kilometers and turn right onto an unmarked gravel road, after travelling on
the road for about 500m you will see a Blue Lakes Trail sign. The first 2.5kms
of the gravel road are easily driven with a standard vehicle; however, the next
1.7kms do require a four wheel drive. The parking area is 4.2km from the
highway and from there you will enjoy a 5km walk to the two gorgeous
lakes!
Editor's note: Learn more about hiking near New Hazelton here.
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Sightseeing Tours
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The view from Connaught Hill in downtown Prince George is great! A friend and myself grabbed a coffee and went up onto the hill to enjoy some conversation with a view. The gardens as you crest the hill are beautiful, and the rest of the park is equally as nicely groomed. We wandered slowly around the perimeter of the park to take in the 360-degree view. This lets you take in the feature of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers meeting, the whole downtown area, and other nearby neighborhoods as well.
My favourite Connaught Hill fun fact: in the early 1900s, PG had one of the world's only 2 illuminated olympic sized ski jumps...and jumpers landed right where the art gallery now stands.
There are many nice parks from which to get an overhead view of PG, but Connaught Hill's gardens and panoramic views make it the best in town!
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Fishing
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A couple of times over the summer, I took advantage of Tourism Prince George's free fishing rods (yes, free!) and tried fishing at 2 lakes right within city limits.
My first try, I headed to Ferguson Lake, located north of the city. This lake has a nice little dock and is stocked with trout. My bait apparently wasn't quite tastey enough, but the 6-year old kid next to me was having a really good day! Hmmph.
My next fishing excursion was at Shane Lake, within the Forests for the World park. The lake is just a 10 minute walk in from the parking lot and also has a dock to fish from. The trout here stole the bait right off my hook, but nothing more than a nibble for this amateur.
Obviously I need to work on my fishing skills, so I'll have to borrow Tourism PG's rods again sometime!
Editor's note: Learn more about fishing in Prince George here.
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Historic & Heritage Sites
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Jean Jacques Caux, also known as Cataline, is one of BC’s most famous packers and lays to rest in Hazelton! Cataline is buried in an unmarked grave in the Hazelton Pioneer Cemetery.
When Cataline passed away in 1922, he expressed that he wished to be buried in a grave marked only by a rock and a horseshoe overlooking the confluence of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers. For years, I have curiously wondered about Cataline’s unmarked grave and its location in the Hazelton Pioneer Cemetery.
One afternoon, a co-worker and I decided that we were going to solve the unmarked grave mystery. We prowled the graveyard for some sort of hint, we hoped in the form of a horseshoe, as to Cataline’s final whereabouts. After about a half hour of searching, we had nearly given up when we finally noticed a pile of rocks with the hints of a faint outline of a horseshoe located in a prime confluence viewing location. We had found the spot of Cataline’s final resting place as the grave we found matched the photo in the Cataline brochure we have at Hazelton Area Visitor Centre!
One of my favorite stories about Cataline tells the tale of Cataline’s cure for baldness. Cataline loved cognac and after each drink he would rub a bit on his head. The statue we have of Cataline outside our Visitor Centre depicts him with a huge amount of hair – perhaps his cognac worked!
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Quesnel, Dining
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I recently visited Granvilles in downtown Quesnel for a quick coffee stop, and boy was it good! This cafe is clearly a town favourite, because there were lots of people in the cozy little space. The walls are covered with neat licence plates and signs and miscellaneous other bits and pieces. Their huge assortment of beverages are great (up to date I've tried an assortment of lattes and mochas and italian sodas and they've all been awesome) and they've got lots of breakfast/lunch/dessert selections that are to die for. Oh - and be sure to check out their "French" and "German" translations on their to-go coffee cups...very funny...
They've recently expanded their outside seating , so grab a nice cold drink and enjoy the sun outside Granvilles!
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Historic & Heritage Sites
One sunny afternoon a couple of friends and I felt that it was a perfect day for a drive. We set out with the Moricetown Canyon as our destination. The Moricetown Canyon is located 35 kilometers from New Hazelton on Highway 16.
Once we arrived at the canyon, not only did we see the Bulkley River tumble through a fifteen meter wide canyon and falls, but we also had the opportunity to watch local Wet’suwet’en First Nations men fish with dip nets. It was fascinating to watch them pull massive salmon out of the turbulent water with apparent ease and grace.
We were also mesmerized by the many salmon relentlessly attempting to jump the falls as they journeyed up the Bulkley River. As you are travelling along Highway 16, be sure to stop by Moricetown Canyon!
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Art Galleries & Artists
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The First time I saw the “My Blue Ocean” by Chris Foltz was the second day into the championship, and right then and there I knew it was going to be my favorite! All that was going through my mind was wow look at all that detail! Who knew the next day it was going to look even more magnificent.
All this detail and hard work sure paid off for Chris though because he placed 3rd in 2010 Championship and also won Peoples and Carvers Choice awards!
This breathe taking piece with all its detail and is even better when you can stand there and look at every piece carved! All the carvings are wonderful but by far the Octopus is my very own favorite.
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Shopping
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Looking to spend an afternoon shopping? I spent the day cruising Prince George's "Specialty Avenues" and found all kinds of treasures!
I started the day with a coffee at Cafe Voltaire within Books & Co and spent some time browsing the many books, including some books by local authors. Next I travelled down 3rd Ave to Northern Hardware to check out all the cool home furnishings. HomeWorks is always fun too, with tons of unique gifts and great clothes upstairs! Ruins and Riot had lots of clothes, and don't forget to venture downstairs in Ruins to find the bargain racks! A couple of my favourite stores on 4th Ave are Dandylines and JJ Springer - Dandylines is full of fun home deco items and gift ideas, and JJ Springer has a variety of gifts and tidbits as well. A couple of my favourites that are just off of "Specialty Aves" would be Topaz Beads on Dominion for their cool selection of beads and jewellery, and the Chinese Store on 5th for a huge variety of baskets, furniture and Chinese foods that you can't get anywhere else in town!
If you're feeling hungry after all that shopping, the downtown area is home to many coffee shops such as Starbucks, Sassafrass Savouries, and Une Petite Cafe. Or if you're looking for something a little more hefty, try one of the many great downtown restaurants ranging from greek to locally grown bison to sushi to hand-made pasta.
I really enjoyed my time downtown, and I'm definitely looking forward to my next shopping expedition!
August 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Wildlife Tours
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On a fine afternoon, my friends and I decided to be ambitious and walk the back roads home. All the back roads in Hazelton are full of beautiful scenery, and are great for families to stroll upon. You don't get the roar of vehicles going past you, just pure nature.
Now strolling along like teenagers naturally do, we never took notice to the shaking of the bushes ahead of us. Continuing on with no care in the world, we were delighted to get up front and centre to a black bear casually eating on the side of our path.
Now, being the almighty woods-people we are, did we act tough and scare it off like we should? Or did we take the normal route of screaming and running away while the bear also runs away. Nope, we all froze like the cowards we are. It was a good thing that bears are generally more scared of humans than we are of them.
In the end, our furry friend merely stared at us and then made its way back into the bushes. We were all awestruck from the encounter that we burst into mad laughter and ran home. What an adventure we had that day to tell everyone.
It's never a good thing to start screaming when a black bear comes into view. As the saying goes, “They are more scared of you then you are of them.” All of this is completely true. Making lots of noise when you are in the woods lets the animals around you know that they should stay clear of you. Carrying bear spray is always a bonus as well.
Come check out our wildlife in Hazelton!