 Peace Canyon Dam
BC Hydro photo
Alcan Kitimat Works Aluminum Smelter
The Alcan Kitimat Works Aluminum Smelter is among the world's largest aluminum smelters and Kitimat's founding industry. Between 1950 and 1954, the town of Kitimat, the smelter, Kenney Dam in the Nechako River Canyon, and the Kemano Power House were carved out of the wilderness. Today, visitors can tour the smelter, where up to 272,000 tonnes (299,829 tons) of primary aluminum are produced each year. Through a brief video, you'll learn more of Alcan's arrival in BC over 50 years ago. You'll then take a guided bus tour of Kitimat Works' reduction, wharf and casting facilities.
The smelter is located off Highway 37 in Kitimat.
A word or two on your visit:
- No admission fee in effect
- Approximate time required: 1.5 hours
> Alcan Kitimat Works website
W.A.C. Bennett Dam and Peace Canyon Dam
The W.A.C. Bennett Dam, completed in 1967, was a colossal project in its time and remains one of BC's most impressive to date. As one of the world's largest earth-filled structures, the dam impounds BC's largest reservoir - 1,761-sq km (680-sq mi) Williston Lake, which took five years to fill! The W.A.C. Bennett Dam offers guided tours that are one hour in length, including a film presentation, scenic bus ride into the canyon and a walking tour of the underground powerhouse, which is located 152 m (500 ft) below the surface bedrock! The tour begins at the Visitor Centre, which offers hands-on electricity related scientific displays, as well as a café and small gift shop.
Twenty-three km (14 mi) downstream from the W.A.C. Bennett Dam is the Peace Canyon Dam. During its construction from 1975 to 1980, a fossilized partial skeleton of a plesiosaur was found - a giant marine reptile about 12 m (40 ft) long. Also discovered were footprints of hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs), horned dinosaurs and birds. Learn more about the building of the dam and the area's dinosaur discoveries at the onsite Visitor Centre.
The W.A.C. Bennett Dam is located off Highway 29, a 20-minute drive from Hudson's Hope; the Peace Canyon Dam is a five-minute drive from Hudson's Hope.
A word or two on your visit:
- No admission fee in effect for the visitor centres
- Fees apply for the underground tour
- Approximate time required: 1-3 hours
> W.A.C. Bennett Dam website
> Peace Canyon Dam website
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway is a Northern BC roadway that stretches a distance of approximately 2,395 km (1,488 mi) from Dawson Creek through the Yukon Territory to Fairbanks, Alaska. Built in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor, this highway was considered a vital artery linking the lower 48 states to Alaska. Workers battled mountains, muskegs and mosquitoes in their efforts to get it built as quickly as possible. The Alaska Highway has long been considered one of the world's greatest construction triumphs and is a tourist attraction all on its own.
Numerous museums in the communities en route feature exhibits on the history of the highway's construction. See what it took to build the road that takes you north! Gas, food and lodging are located along the highway approximately every 30-90 kilometres (20-55 miles). The best time to travel the road is June to September.
The Alaska Highway begins at Mile Zero in Dawson Creek.
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