July 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Attractions
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...well actually there is no old lady, but it IS a shoe! I visited one of Smithers' most fantastic but little known points of interest - the "shoe house"!
I only recently found out about this house and I just had to go see it for myself! I was a little shy about going to gawk at a stranger's house, but the owner and builder, Ed, has been quoted as saying, "would I have built a house that looks like a shoe if I didn't want people to come look at it?", so I'd say that's as good of an invitation as any!
The shoe house is located on Kitseguecla Lake Rd, which is about 8 km East of Moricetown on Hwy 16. The trees have grown up around it a bit (compared to this photo that my friend took years ago - sorry, didn't have my camera for a current shot!), so I parked my car on the road and got out for a better view. The house was originally a trailer, but Ed built an addition and added the shoe-like details.
I just couldn't help but smile while checking out this unique house! Don't miss this photo op during your next trip through Smithers/Moricetown.
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 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Wildlife Tours
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I recently rediscovered my inner child and went searching for frogs and salamanders! As a kid growing up in Northern BC, my sister and I spent many hours hunting for amphibians in our neighbourhood. I always loved that feeling of turning over a piece of wood and finding those big beady eyes staring up at you!
My recent excursion took place on the shores of Lake Kathlyn in Smithers, but any moist, wooded area near you will likely do the trick! It took me a few minutes to find the right hunting spot, but my patience was rewarded with numerous great finds! My photo is of a salamander that I found inside an old log (the best place to find salamanders by the way - a nice moist rotting log on the forest floor!), but I also found a few toads of miscellaneous colours and sizes hopping around in the swampy areas next to the lake. Our rainy summer has provided great amphibian homes this year!
The numbers of amphibians in Northern BC are declining every year, so I really encourage you to get your hands dirty and learn about these critters in their natural habitat before it's too late! Contrary to popular belief, you won't get warts from touching frogs...and I've kissed a few as a kid and they didn't turn into princes either :) Just please be very gentle if you choose to pick up any toads or salamanders and carefully return them to exactly where you found them.
Happy hunting!
July 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. James, Camping
There are many beautiful lakes around the Fort St James area, but my favourite that I've recently visited is Tezzeron Lake. I stayed at the Cinnabar Resort and had a great time exploring the lake and surrounding natural attractions. The attached photo is of one of the many beautiful sunrises that we saw during our stay!
The Cinnabar Resort is located about 50km north-west of Fort St James. It is home to a University of Northern BC Research Centre and neighbours the also-beautiful Tezzeron Resort. We stayed in one of Cinnabar's cozy cabins (mmm I love the smell of a wood stove!) which sleeps 4 people in bunk beds and is equipped with a small kitchen, but you could also pitch a tent at one of their lakeside tent sites a little further up the beach.
We borrowed a canoe to explore a nearby island and found lots of evidence of the resident River Otter's presence! These guys sure eat a lot of fish! Speaking of fish, be sure to bring your rod because the lake is full of them, and you won't be crowded by other fisherman since there are only 3 access points to the lake (these 2 resorts and one forestry recreation campsite).
Nearby, we hiked up Pinchi Mountain to get a 360 degree view of Tezzeron, Pinchi, and Stewart Lakes. On another day, we walked a short interpretive trail built by the local First Nations youth that takes you to a genuine pit house that the youth built. This pit house, along with the surrounding cache pits and culturally modified trees provide a fantastic bit of cultural history of this area. The resort caretakers can help you find these two attractions.
The Cinnabar and Tezzeron resorts are open year round, so you can visit the beautiful and peaceful Tezzaron Lake any time you please!
July 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. James, Wildlife Tours
Looking for a great Salmon viewing opportunity? Last year I found a beautiful place that had TONS of Salmon just outside of Fort St James.
Tsilcoh Falls is a short distance north of Fort St James. Drive through town and travel on the Germansen Landing Rd for 10-15km (passed the turnoff for Murray Ridge ski hill), then turn left onto the Pinchi Forest Service Rd. After about 5km, you'll see the sign marking Tsilcoh Falls on your left side. There's a nice big parking lot with pit toilets and a picnic area, and it's just a short walk down a trail to a great rocky viewpoint (careful, the rocks were a little slippery).
From this viewpoint, I got to see Salmon jumping up the small falls. You always hear how tough and treacherous the Salmon's spawning journey is, but this really put it into perspective for me - those fish really have to work to get up those falls! I visited the falls in the middle of August, but of course the best Salmon-viewing dates always fluctuate a little.
I definitely recommend visiting Tsilcoh Falls during this year's Salmon run to see these awesome fish in action!
July 17, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Museums
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Have you taken part in the Smithers Culture Crawl yet? I worked my way through this self-guided tour and learned a lot about the history of Smithers!
First stop: I picked up my self-guided-tour-pamphlet at the BV Museum (corner of Main St & Hwy 16) and viewed the displays there before venturing out for the rest of the tour. Don't miss the exhibit about the household items that was invented by one of the ingenuous locals!
Next, I walked the one block over to Safeway, where I learned how our great recreational ski facilities came to be - love the retro ski suits! I then headed down Main St to Schimmels Fine Pastries to see the photos depicting the early Dutch settlers and the difficulties that faced our first farmers...and of course I couldn't help but enjoy a nice big apple turnover while I was there! Down the street in Hometown Furniture, I learned about our earliest Swiss settlers who arrived shortly before the previously mentioned Dutch settlers. After a quick hop over to the Old Church located at King St & 1st Ave to see the beautiful gardens (which are particularly lush this year thanks to all the rain!), I ventured over into the residential part of town to see a couple of the Aladdin Company "Kit Homes" that were built here in 1920. I've driven by these houses plenty of times without realizing the history behind them, so it was really neat to learn their story!
It was really neat learning about Smithers' history within the present downtown setting, and I sure couldn't complain about the chance to eat some tasty pastries along the way either! This is definitely a great tour to check out when you're in Smithers
July 15, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Festivals & Events
This morning, I checked out the BMW Vintage & Classic Car Club of America's display of antique cars on Main St here in Smithers. They've been touring around Western Canada, and their stop in Smithers coincides with the BV Museum's celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first automobile to drive overland from the US to the Bulkley Valley. I really enjoyed seeing all the BMW cars and motorbikes from every decade - including the oldest one from 1937. I would have been happy to take home one of the zippy little red convertables, but my favourite was definitely the 1940's vintage touring car!
After a short parade, they'll be rolling on to Prince George, so be sure to check them out in Prince George if you missed them in Smithers!
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!
July 11, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Historic & Heritage Sites
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If you're travelling in Northwest BC, the 'Ksan Historical Village & Museum is a stop that should not be missed! I recently visited the site and was really impressed by the tour that I received. The tour will cost $10 instead of the $5 fee for just wandering around, but it's WELL worth it!
My tour guide showed our small group into each of the 3 clan houses where an audio tour led us through each part of the detailed displays. My favourite was the Fireweed house, which featured the masks, clothing, and props used in ceremonies and celebrations - keep an eye out for the one-horned goat!
After our tour, I visited the site's museum and gift shop. Did you know that this was the very first First Nations museum in the country? Me neither!
I really enjoyed my first visit to the ‘Ksan Historical Village, and I’ll definitely be going back again soon!