 Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway, Dawson Creek
Don Pettit/ PhotoGraphics Train and railway enthusiasts will be fascinated by the original Northern Alberta Railway Station in Dawson Creek's Northern Alberta Railways Park. There's also a miniature 1912 steam train in Prince George's Fort George Park, which is also home to Northern BC's largest science centre and museum. Check with local Visitor Info Centres to see when parks are hosting events during the summer months.
Fort George Park
All aboard! During the summer months, Fort George Park's miniature 1912 steam train loops around the park. Fort George is made for action: in addition to its train, the park offers a children's playground and spray park plus plenty of other sports facilities.
Young and old can find something of interest at The Exploration Place Science Centre & Museum, also located within the park. There are hands-on exhibits that invite you to interact with displays, while kids can get their first introduction to the region's history in the Children's Museum. There are also galleries to be explored on topics such as tree species, paleontology, First Nations and Prince George's heritage.
Fort George Park is located along the banks of the Fraser River in Prince George.
A word or two on your visit:
- Admission fee in effect for the museum
- Approximate time required: 2 hours
> Fort George Park website
Mile Zero Park
This park is home the Walter Wright Pioneer Village, a replica of Dawson Creek when the community was still on the edge of the frontier. Stroll along boardwalks into buildings that include a replica firehall, general store, two original churches, two heritage schools, a blacksmith shop and plenty of farm machinery from an era long gone.
Other highlights of Mile Zero Park are the eleven fabulously themed gardens that make up Gardens North, and man-made Rotary Lake - unique to the Peace region and a great place for summer swimming, picnics and beach volleyball. Please note that there is no lifeguard on duty and that the lake is chlorinated.
Mile Zero Park is found at approximately Mile One of the Alaska Highway, near the junction of Highway 97 South and the Alaska Highway.
A word or two on your visit:
- Admission by donation to the pioneer village
- Approximate time required: 1 hour
Northern Alberta Railways Park
Northern Alberta Railways Park is the location of true "Mile Zero" of the Alaska Highway. Within this 1.6-ha (4-ac) park you will find the Mile Zero Cairn, Dawson Creek Station Museum, Dawson Creek Art Gallery and on Saturdays in the summer months, the Farmers' Market.
No trip to Northern BC is complete without having your picture taken underneath the "You are Now Entering the World Famous Alaska Highway" sign, found at the Mile Zero Cairn. The museum is located in an original Northern Alberta Railway Station built in 1931, and has railway memorabilia, pioneer artifacts and wildlife displays. The gallery occupies the rather unique space of a renovated grain elevator annex. Regular exhibits and a pictorial history of the construction of the Alaska Highway can be found in the annex's two stairwells.
Northern Alberta Railways Park is located at Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek.
A word or two on your visit:
- Admission by donation to the art gallery and the museum
- Approximate time required: 1 hour
> Dawson Creek Art Gallery website
> Station Museum website
|