July 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Sightseeing Tours
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Have you ever visited Smithers and wondered what we’re up to with our many different statues? Or maybe you’ve heard about our over grown alpenhorn man, or our ‘phantom grizzly bear’? Well even after 17 years of living in the area I myself still had questions about our crazy mascots; so last night I decided I’d take the time to find out what they we’re all about.
First off I stopped by the Smithers Regional Airport to check out our legendary ‘phantom grizzly’ this enormous bear (weighing in at 1020lbs (460kg) was accused guilty of killing upwards of 30 heads of cattle in the Bulkley Valley, Some of this cattle weighed as much as 1500lbs (682 kg). Our bear was no ordinary bear; he was the bear version of Houdini, despite the conservation officer’s best efforts our grizzly escaped from multiple snares and traps. He was finally captured by Conservation Officers in the fall of 2001 and is now the first thing you see as you slept into the Smithers Airport.
After the airport I came back to town and took a stroll around town to check out some of our other attractions. First off I dropped by and said a hello to Alpine Al; our lovely mascot waiting to great you on Main Street. How we finally landed on an alpine man? Well we have Alderman Andy Stalker to thank for that one. In 1972 suggested that a theme was introduced to the town, As Bavarian and other European themes were popular the alpine theme was an ideal choice. And how on earth did we come across a 7foot high statue with a 10 foot long horn you may ask?? It was started with a hotel in Christina Lake burning down; fortunately for Smithers our beloved Alpine Al stood strong and hung in there (it helped that he was in the middle of a fountain). So Andy and his son Glen travelled to Christina Lake to pick bring Al home. We are proud to announce that Alpine Al is a very happy man in his new home on Main Street!
We also got to see many more; including, a goat, a pack horse, a fisherman, and even a woman laying some rail road! I fully encourage everyone to check out at least a few of these spectacular monuments and there fabulous stories!!
July 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Sightseeing Tours
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It's a great time of year to see some of Northern BC's most beautiful wild flowers! I recently took a scenic drive into the Babine Mountain Provincial Park outside of Smithers to see all the flowers growing in the fields and along the road.
I began my drive by heading up the Old Babine Lake Rd passed Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park. There are a few flowers to be seen on this leg of the drive (really, it's hard to notice anything else but the gorgeous mountain views!), but the best flowers begin shortly after Driftwood Canyon. I followed the road as it passed over a couple of one-lane bridges which span the Driftwood Creek before coming to a large field on my right side. This field was covered in colouful wildflowers, ranging from the classic Oxeye Daisy and Yellow Buttercups to the invasive-but-still-pretty Red Hawkweed.
As I continued my drive over more one-lane bridges and into the Babine Mountain Park, the wildflowers became more diverse and could be found right alongside the road. The 20km park speed limit gave me a great excuse to take my time and enjoy the scenery! I saw Wild Roses, the large white Thimbleberry flowers and the smaller white Bunchberry flowers, and lots of Indian Paintbrush as well. In a couple select spots, I was also able to find my favourite - Red Columbine! I always enjoy seeing how the different plants grow in intermixed groups, providing an awesome mosaic of colours against the vibrant green foliage.
I turned around at the Harvey Mountain trail head and headed for home, but I look forward to returning to this area later in the summer to see all the late-season flowers like Fireweed and Yarrow. So while you're keeping your eyes out for moose and other wildlife on our Northern BC highways and rural roads, make sure to take note of our beautiful coloured wildflowers along the way too!
July 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Sightseeing Tours
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A few days ago myself and a few of my friends and family headed up the Telkwa Pass ATVing, The pass is an awesome ride (or drive) and you get to see such amazing scenery! You can reach all the way from Telkwa BC to Terrace BC on this outstanding trail; I've even heard stories about some of those intense outdoors people waking up for out of town work hours early and taking the pass instead of the highway! That's what i call dedication!
Along the way you get to see multiple lakes and streams; such as Top Lake, Mooseskin Johnny Lake, Sinclare Creek, Tom George Creek and many many others. As well as the water ways you get the chance to see wild life, have a camp fire at Top Lake, and as always on an ATVing trip you are promised to get dirty!
The highlight of the trip for me (aside from getting out in the valley with friends) was once we got to Top Lake we parked the ATVs for a while and had a camp fire complete with hot dogs and marshmallows. After we we're all full and ready to ride again we hoped back on the machines and had some good ol' fun in the water (rubber boots & rain pants are a personal recommendation).
The trip is awesome and we're already planning another trip in a few weeks, hope to see people up there! Happy riding!!
For more specific directions the trail is a very well known area in the Smithers & Telkwa area so feel free to stop and ask on your way through!
July 14, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Sightseeing Tours
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I recently hosted a couple of Australian travellers and although they'd been in our fine province for a few months already, they had not yet seen a moose. So we piled into my car and drove into the beautiful outskirts of Smithers to get them a photo of a moose!
We headed East and turned onto the Babine Lake Road. This turns into a gravel forestry road just a few kilometers out of town, but it's a nice wide & smooth road. We continued on this road for about an hour - out past the trail heads for the Babine Provincial Park and on to Chapman Lake, which is approximately 50km from Smithers. I've been told that Chapman Lake is swarming with moose, but they must have all been hiding this evening. As a consolation prize, we saw 2 black bear and a stunning view of the mountains, so we weren't too sad about the lack of moose! We enjoyed the quiet views of Chapman Lake (featured in the attached photo) for a short while, then jumped back in the car to head home. We took one of the many detours that the road home offers - just a few kilometers from town, we turned right onto the Telkwa High Road and drove to Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park. No moose here either, but a fox came right up to our car to check us out! We then drove the final leg of our trip home via the Old Babine Lake Rd (more stunning mountain views!) and came upon a deer with a fawn so small that it hardly reached the mom's belly! This was definitely the smallest deer I've ever seen!
So, still no moose for my Australian company, but some other great wildlife finds and mountain scenery that's hard to beat!
July 14, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Sightseeing Tours
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Twin Falls is definitely one of the more popular trails in Smithers (see past blogs on the hike to the falls!), but did you know that you can see these stunning falls without even breaking a sweat?
Recently I had the urge for a picnic with a view but was not in the mood to pack my mini BBQ up some slippery mountain trail for 2 hours! Instead, I headed out to Twin Falls. Many people hurry along to the end of the trail for the close-up views of the falls, but I decided to set up lunch at the picnic tables that are just to the right of the large map near the head of the trail. I would say that this is approximately a 45 second walk from the parking lot. Here, I sat at 1 of the 2 tables and enjoyed a panoramic view of the whole mountainside (including both waterfalls of course) and the sound of rushing water filling the air (good thing the pit toilets were only 45 seconds away in the parking lot!). This short walk was only minimally sloped and is well groomed, so it would be great for those folks with young kids or mobility difficulties.
Whether you're a hiking enthusiast or someone looking for a nice view without the workout, Twin Falls can offer something for everyone!