Have you ever enjoyed a summer day so much you wished it would never end? Well, thanks to its northern latitude, Fort St. John's summer days go on (almost) forever! Golfers can tee off as late as 7 p.m. in June and July on one of three local courses. Lakepoint Golf & Country Club's course is laid out along the shores of Charlie Lake and features fairways edged with dense forest. The Lone Wolf Golf Club, on the banks of the Peace River, features forgiving fairways and well-maintained, bent-grass greens. Fort St. John Links Golf Course is a nine-hole course conveniently located right in town.
There are walking trails to suit people of all abilities in and around Fort St. John. The trails in Fish Creek Community Forest are dotted with interpretive signage that will help you recognize the flora and fauna you see around you. Charlie Lake is a popular recreation destination for locals and visitors alike. Two vehicle-accessible campgrounds are located on its shores: Beatton Provincial Park campground and Charlie Lake Provincial Park campground; both parks have a network or walking trails. There is also a paved 10 km (6 mi) walking trail that runs along the outskirts of the city.
Fort St. John has existed in a number of locations since 1794, when the North West Company constructed a fort on the Peace River at the mouth of the Moberly River. It is the oldest, non-First Nations settlement on the BC mainland. The community remained a remote outpost until the completion of the Alaska Highway in 1942. Fort St. John is now the largest city in northeastern BC.
It is a prosperous centre of agriculture, forestry, oil and gas production as well as hydroelectricity production. Human activity in the Peace River Valley goes back much farther than 1794: archaeologists have found stone tools in the Charlie Lake Caves that date back 10,500 years!
The Fort St. John - North Peace Museum has exhibits that focus on the area's archaeological discoveries, fur-trading past, agricultural settlement, Alaska Highway construction as well as the discovery of oil and gas. The Heritage Kiosk Walking Tour through downtown Fort St. John will give you a feeling for the history of the area. The kiosks contain photos of old Fort St. John and the construction of the Alaska Highway.
The North Peace Cultural Centre houses a number of arts and cultural facilities: Peace Gallery North, a museum-class art gallery; a dance studio; the Fort St. John Public Library; and a 413-seat theatre used mainly for musical and theatrical productions
Try your hand at painting your very own piece of bisque at the Fireplace Ceramics Studio. This is a great activity for children and adults as you can choose from items such as mugs and serving platters, jewellery boxes and piggy banks.
There are arts-centered events going on every week in Fort St. John - check with the local Visitor Centre for a full schedule of events.
Fort St. John has lots of exciting attractions that are fun for the whole family. Your kids will love watching bees at work in the hives at The Honey Place, as well as splashing in the wave pool, waterslide and spray park at the North Peace Leisure Pool. Inside the North Peace Cultural Centre, you'll find Peace Gallery North (a museum-class art gallery), a café, library, dance studio as well as a 413-seat theatre that stages plays and musicals at various times during the year.
Take a daytrip to Hudson's Hope. The one-hour drive along Highway 29 is one of BC's most scenic stretches. It runs parallel to the Peace River for more than 70 km (43 mi), passing through rolling hills and plains that are a pastoral patchwork of farms and ranches. More grain, forage, seed and honey is produced in those fields than anywhere else in BC. The drive is pure delight at any time of year. When you reach Hudson's Hope, head for the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, an incredible engineering feat, plus the Peace Canyon Dam - its construction led to the discovery of dinosaur prints in the canyon bedrock.
Fort St. John's largest community theatre group, Stage North Theatre Society, stages three or four productions a year - a mix of published plays, musicals and original plays by local playwrights. An offshoot of the theatre group, the Spontaneous Combustion improv troupe, puts on 1-2 dinner theatre evenings a year.
Fort St. John is also home to the Fort St. John Players, a unique group of thespians. The Players are associated with the Fort St. John Association for Community Living, and are a group of developmentally disabled adults. They stage original short plays each year.
A comfortable movie experience awaits you at the Aurora Cinema Centre. Located in the Totem Mall, the cinema offers five screens and an arcade. Movies are shown nightly, with matinees on weekends, holidays, and during summer break.
You can watch or participate in a variety of sports throughout the year, including baseball, soccer, hockey, archery, curling, football, martial arts, equestrian sports and cross-country skiing. There's lots of water-oriented fun to be had at the North Peace Leisure Pool: the facility has a wave pool, lap pool, waterslide, sauna, steam room and hot tub inside as well as a spray park outside.
There are many beautiful spots around Fort St. John. Fish Creek Community Forest has three lovely walking trails dotted with interpretive signs to help you identify and better understand the plant and animal life. For an inspiring view, head to the Peace River Canyon Lookout, which offers a panoramic view of the Peace River Valley. Archaeologists have found evidence of human activity in caves near Charlie Lake that dates back some 10,500 years - check out the display at the Fort St. John - North Peace Museum. Today, human activity around the picturesque lake consists mainly of fishing, swimming, hiking and camping. Finally, if you take the scenic drive along Highway 29 from Fort St. John to Hudson's Hope, you are likely to see deer or even a moose or black bear.
The Elisi Spa & Wilderness Resort is a one-hour, charter flight from Fort St. John. Located on the eastern edge of the northern Rockies, its facilities include a main lodge containing six private guest rooms as well as several rustic cabins scattered throughout the grounds. The Spa & Wellness Centre at the main lodge includes separate rooms for various body treatments. There is also a hot tub, sauna and gym.
There are many locations for spa services in Fort St. John; they are usually quite busy, so it is always a good idea to book ahead.
The most popular water activities in and around Fort St. John are fishing, river boating and swimming. World-class fishing for rainbow trout, Arctic grayling, bull trout, northern pike, walleye and more can be had in the area's lakes and rivers. Charlie Lake is a walleye hotspot. Local operators offer guided fishing excursions on the pristine lakes and rivers of the northern Rockies west of Fort St. John. If you're travelling with your family, the North Peace Leisure Pool has facilities that appeal to everyone.
Fort St. John is located in BC's only prairie region, so there's no shortage of cross-country skiing. Come winter, trails are set up in the Fort St. John Links Golf Course, Peace Island Park in nearby Taylor, the Fish Creek Community Forest and in Beatton Provincial Park (at Charlie Lake). Fort St. John's proximity to the northern Rockies means guided heli-skiing opportunities for deep-powder enthusiasts. Helicopters give guests access to more than 8,000 sq km (3,100 sq mi) of skiable terrain, including the area around Pine Pass, which is legendary for its deep powder. You can also join local residents to enjoy hockey and curling.