There are almost limitless possibilities for outdoor recreation in Prince George, particularly if you enjoy activities where nature is the star of the show. Hiking trails through beautiful country abound; everything from one-hour walks to multi-day, backwoods backpacking routes is available. Forests for the World is a demonstration forest that offers wonderful trails and viewpoints. If you go in the early morning or at dusk, you have a good chance of seeing moose. Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Provincial Park offers single and multi-day hikes through old-growth spruce, hemlock and cedar forests as well as alpine meadows. The park is a protected habitat for grizzlies and caribou. If you visit in fall, be sure to take a leisurely stroll through Moore's Meadow Park when its foliage is a resplendent red, orange and gold.
A unique hiking experience is offered on Green Mountain, 20 minutes from Prince George. From mid-May through to September you can take a half-day, guided, llama pack trip through marsh and lowlands and up into a mature Douglas-fir forest. The more adventurous can take a multi-day, guided pack trip in the northern Rockies.
Crooked River Provincial Park is one of the best places to camp in the area. It's a great favourite with swimmers and sunbathers because it boasts some of the best sandy beaches in the region. It's also a fine place to fish, hike and study nature. Purden Lake Provincial Park, another camping top spot, is nestled in the mountains east of Prince George. While much of it is dense forest, the area around Purden Lake is open and inviting. You'll find people strolling on the shoreline, swimming in the lake and fishing for rainbow trout.
There are many cycling and mountain biking trails in and around the city, some of which are used by local horseback riding tours. Cranbrook Hill Greenway Trail is a multi-use trail that links the network of trails called Forests for the World to the Otway Nordic Ski Centre trails. The LC Gunn Trail that runs along the cutbanks of the Fraser River is a lot of fun, but if you're biking with children take the Heritage River Trail System instead. It offers some great views of the cutbanks from a smoother, safer trail.
Of the seven golf courses within easy reach of the city, Aberdeen Glen Golf Club is the most impressive. It's a 7,114-yard, par-73, 18-hole course that features dramatic elevation changes and exquisite scenery.
There are two notable architectural landmarks in Prince George: the Two Rivers Gallery and the University of Northern British Columbia. The Two Rivers Gallery features a sloping roof and arching ribs that together symbolize the cutbanks of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers. The University of Northern British Columbia is considered a showpiece of northern architecture. The buildings on campus feature massive wood-and-granite beams and soaring atriums.
Prince George is the cultural heart of Northern BC. Within a two-hour radius of the city, you'll find a rich assortment of art galleries, museums and heritage sites.
The Two Rivers Gallery is a major visual arts centre for all of Northern BC. It mounts numerous exhibitions of contemporary and historical works by local and international artists throughout the year. The Prince George Native Art Gallery focuses on new works by local First Nations artists and craftspeople. Both galleries are located in downtown Prince George.
The Exploration Place Museum & Science Centre has extensive exhibits that deal with palaeontology, biology, First Nations culture, local history and more. It also has a children's museum. On the grounds, you'll find an authentic First Nations burial ground and, from May to September, a working, miniature 1912 steam train.
The Huble Homestead Historic Site, a short drive north of the city, is a restored, pioneer-era trading centre. Its original buildings include a log cabin, general store and blacksmith's shop. Tour them with a guide in period costume. The Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum is home to one of BC's largest collections of vintage locomotives, rail cars and railroading artifacts. It also features a number of pioneer-era buildings. You can climb aboard many of the rolling stock and even take a ride on a miniature train.
The Exploration Place Museum & Science Centre is one of Prince George's top attractions, with extensive and varied displays on subjects ranging from palaeontology and biology to First Nations culture and local history. There's also a children's museum and a Simex Virtual Voyages ride. Outside, you'll find a First Nations burial ground and a miniature 1912 steam train.
Some attractions are purely historical. The Huble Homestead Historic Site is a restored, pioneer-era trading centre. You can tour the grounds and get a feel for the pioneer life with a knowledgeable, costumed guide. Visit the Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum to see one of BC's largest collections of railroad memorabilia, including vintage locomotives and rail cars, many of which you can climb aboard. You can even take a ride on a miniature train.
There are a number of stand-out parks in Prince George. Connaught Hill Park features gardens, picnic tables and a 360-degree view of Prince George. Cottonwood Island Park has a trail along the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers. Forests for the World demonstration forest offers trails with wonderful viewpoints, including one that looks out over the city. Moose sightings are common here, especially in early morning or at dusk.
Prince George is the cultural heart of Northern BC, so there's no shortage of live entertainment. Theatre North West stages four plays a year in its namesake, 220-seat venue. The Prince George Theatre Workshop Society, a community theatre group, puts on approximately three shows a year, usually in the 295-seat Prince George Playhouse.
The Prince George Symphony Orchestra performs from September to May. Other establishments in the city present live blues, folk and rock acts and more. The city's nightlife includes everything from cozy pubs to night clubs with state-of-the-art sound systems and light shows. There are also comedy clubs and a casino.
If you're a hockey fan you're in luck: Prince George has a British Columbia Hockey League team (Prince George Spruce Kings) that plays home games in the Coliseum as well as a Western Hockey League team (Prince George Cougars) that plays home games in the Multiplex.
You're never far from the beauty of nature in Prince George. In fact, right inside the city you can walk along the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers in Cottonwood Island Park, or view moose grazing in the Forests for the World demonstration forest.
Purden Lake Provincial Park is nestled in the mountains east of Prince George. While its uplands are densely forested, the area around Purden Lake is open and inviting. Sightings of black bears, moose, beavers, snowshoe hares, porcupines and squirrels are possible. You can also visit Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Provincial Park, a protected habitat for grizzlies and caribou, or take a stroll through Moore's Meadow Park in the fall to see its dazzling foliage of red, orange and gold.
Crooked River Provincial Park contains three lakes and some of the region's finest sandy beaches. Go to hike, fish, swim or study nature. West Lake Provincial Park is a day-use park where you can fish, boat and hike in summer as well as toboggan and cross-country ski in winter.
The day-use area of West Lake Provincial Park is one of the best places to kick back and relax around Prince George. Soak up the sun on its sandy beach or read in the shade of a cottonwood tree. You can eat your picnic lunch in the designated picnic area or challenge your companions to a game of volleyball or horseshoes. The city also has a number of day spas.
There are more than 1,600 lakes and rivers within an hour's drive of Prince George. The surfaces of the area's waterways are uncrowded, their depths teeming with rainbow trout, Arctic grayling, Rocky Mountain whitefish, kokanee, bull trout, lake trout, burbot and sturgeon. Guided fishing charters and jet-boat "safaris" to view wildlife, sightsee and camp on the Fraser and Nechako Rivers are available. If wildlife viewing is your main goal, consider eschewing motorized vehicles entirely. Paddle in a near-silent canoe or kayak instead.
Skiers adore Prince George, whether they like to advance purposefully across the backcountry or streak down a full-service ski hill. While there are a great many places to cross-country ski around the city, one of the most popular is the Otway Nordic Centre, just west of town. It has 30 km (19 mi) of machine-groomed trails for classic and skating techniques, and five km (3 mi) of trails for night skiing.
The best downhill skiing and snowboarding near Prince George is at Purden Ski Village, Tabor Mountain Ski Resort (which also offers good cross-country skiing) and Powder King. You can also snowshoe at Moore's Meadow Park as well as ice skate at various public facilities and outdoor rinks in the city.