August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Wildlife Tours
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The other day, I went for a great hike on Hudson Bay Mountain. I hiked all the way up to Crater Lake (a glacial lake on the mountain) where there was alpine meadows right next to left-over snow from winter. It took me an hour to get to the top, where I jumped in the frigid lake to cool off.
Not expecting to see any animals other than the usual marmot (which I did see), coming down from the mountain I saw a buck by the parking lot! Even though I have grown up in Smithers my whole lie, seeing wildlife never ceases to amaze me, so excitedly I grabbed my camera and took some pictures.
I hope when other people go hiking to Crater Lake, they have the same luck and see some animals as well! You may see mountain goats, whisky jack birds in the fall who will eat right out of your hand, and a whole lot of snowboarders and skiers in the winter!
Editor's note: Learn more about hiking near Smithers here.
August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Historic & Heritage Sites
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If you’re interested in beautiful art work, native history, and a great drive, then Kitwancool is the place to stop.
From Kitwanga, it is about a 30 minute drive to this small community, where some of the best (and oldest) totem poles you can find anywhere stand. I’ve seen quite a few totem poles in my day, and these ones take the cake. Beautifully carved, and in such a breath-taking area, this is definitely worth a stop off of your trip to go see.
August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Historic & Heritage Sites
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If you are travelling on highway 16 west of Smithers, you can stop 5 minutes off onto highway 16 where you can see some of the most beautiful totem poles (and greatest assortment) in the west. I quote the old adage, “the best things in life are free”, because it is truly a wonderful place that you can stop, admire spectacular history and art, all for the price of willing to stop.
August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Hiking
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The other day, I decided to go hiking in the Babine Mountains. A beautiful place to go for an adventure, it is definitely not for the faint of heart.
With many options, the trails can take you for days into these spectacular mountains. There’s even the Joe L’Orsa cabin that you can stay in on the Silverking Trail. I only went to sunnypoint, taking 1 hour-roundtrip.
On the way out of the park on the road, we stopped and watched as a family of 5 foxes ran across the road. I’ve never seen foxes come up so close to humans before, so it was a pretty exciting experience. Down the road, we had to stop again as a doe and her baby fawn ran into the forest. And still, as we continued, a moose ran across the road!
If you’re looking for wildlife in the Smithers area, I recommend going into the Babine Mountain area to see the diverse amount of animals in this area.
Editor's note: Learn more about hiking in Smithers
here.
August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Festivals & Events
A part of the reason I love living in northern British Columbia and in a smaller town is the accessibility of fantastic events to where I live.
Just down the road in the Kispiox valley is one of the best music festivals in the province. The Kispiox Valley Music Festival boasts great acts, great location, and great people.
I camped there all weekend, from Friday to Sunday, and loved every minute of it. From the family atmosphere to the spectacular acts, I was thoroughly impressed by all the hard work that was put into making this weekend awesome.
Dancing under the stars at night at the main stage, eating great food from the vendors, and hanging out with friends is what made this festival great. I even jumped in the Kispiox river - very quickly, I might add. Some of the acts included Saritah, the Fuzzcats and Mamaguroove. Maybe I’ll see you there next year!
August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Historic & Heritage Sites
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Recently, I heard that there was a national historic site an hour down the road from Smithers that I has never known about before, called Battle Hill. Not wanting to be in the dark, I ventured down to Kitwanga and took a turn up highway 37. About 15 minutes off of highway 16 is a place called Battle Hill, a historic site where epic battles between first nation groups took place.
Essentially, it’s a grassy hill where archeologists excavated and found remains of human habitation, and through history knew that people as far away as Haida Gwaii would come to join in battle. There’s a trail you can walk from the parking lot all the way up to the top of the hill, where the people who lived there had an advantage against their enemies.
You can feel a sense of long-ago history, and actually see where they built these people lived. This is an important sight that shouldn’t be missed if you are travelling up highway 37.
Editor's note: Learn more about driving routes in the Smithers area here.
August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, River Rafting
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At the beginning of the summer, I had the pleasure of rafting down the Bulkley River. I had never seen the Bulkley Valley from that perspective before, and it was quite scenic.
As far as wildlife, we saw one deer and an eagle. Our guide (thankfully) steered us out of the bigger rapids, so our trip was tame and relaxing. If you are more interested in white water rafting, the Bulkley also offers a wilder ride in faster moving water. Our trip took us a total of 2 hours from the Telkwa bridge to Lunan Road in Smithers.
August 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Terrace, Camping
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A photo situated at Lakelse Lake Provincial Park. With the gorgeous weather it made the trip remarkable. You can see the beautiful mountains of the Kitimat Range in the background along with sand on the beach and calm blue water. This park is primarily used for camping, boating, nature trail walking, and swimming. Lakelse is not to be missed when travelling to or from Kitimat.
August 06, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Dining
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Earlier this week I was taken out for dinner at On the Rocks
Neighborhood Pub in
Fort
St. John. When arriving
at the pub I was a bit hesitant but was reminded by my friend to not judge a
book by its cover!
Once inside and browsing the menu I was shocked at the
variety of meals available – from appetizers, wraps, sandwiches, full meals and
a great variety of drinks! I had the chicken souvlaki wrap which consisted fresh
chicken, cheese, tomatoes and tzaziki sauce…mmm my favorite! The Pub also features
dancing on the weekends!
August 06, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Nelson, Hot Springs
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For all you hot springs lovers out there Ainsworth Hotsprings, located north of Nelson, is one not to miss.
What makes Ainsworth Hotsprings unique is not only the beautiful scenery, with its setting on the side of the Purcell Mountains looking over a Kootenay Lake, but the 150 foot horseshoe cave that branches out of the outdoor pool. It is a really a cool experience to swim through the warm water through a cave. Mineral water comes down from the roof of the cave and forms the 3 foot deep pool in the caves. This process also forms stalacites all over the roof of the cave.
It was one of my favourite hotspring experience and I highly recommend making the stop when travelling through the Kootney Rockies of British Columbia.