Sightseeing, Boating, Adrenalin
Northern BC Jet Boat Tours
Northern BC Jet Boat Tours offers a variety of tours ranging from an hour to a full day. We specialize in getting off the beaten path and...
Phone: (250)631-9838
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Note: This story was originally published in 2020.
Witness the waterfalls, wildlife, and wonderful sights of the wild north through the eyes and the lens of Vancouver-based photographer Callum Snape. We join him as he travels through the northern wilderness of British Columbia with his Terrace-born partner Patrick Levesque.
Get a window seat and have your camera ready for the flight from Vancouver to Terrace. The route takes a scenic journey over Bowen Island before turning up the Sunshine Coast and then flying over remote mountains and enormous glaciers.
Terrace is a small town in the heart of northwestern BC and is the perfect base for exploring the region. Fly in and pick up a rental car, or drive there if time allows. Start your trip by driving along Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway) towards Prince Rupert, and turn down a small logging road to visit the secluded Exstew Falls. Walk five minutes to the lower falls or take a more strenuous 15-minute stroll to the upper falls to see two entirely different vistas. Be wowed by hundreds of falls seen from the water on an exhilarating boat tour up the Exchamsiks Valley. Here, waterfalls plummet from cloud-engulfed mountaintops into the pristine wilderness valley. Watch for bald eagles soaring overhead, and you might even spot a grizzly.
Take a drive up Nass Valley Road to see lakes and waterfalls such as Kitsumkalum Lake and the glacial-fed Vetter Falls. Be sure to check out the surreal and otherworldly lava landscape in Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park.
Little Wolf Resort, Patrick walking through 'Ksan Historical Village, Northern BC Jet Boat Tours (Callum Snape), Hidden Acres Treehouse Resort (6ix Sigma), Exstew Falls (Northern BC Tourism/Mike Seehagel), Callum Snape
Drive east from Terrace to Smithers on a beautiful route along Highway 16 that takes about two and half hours. Stop in Hazelton to see the spectacular suspension bridge at Hagwilget Canyon and visit ‘Ksan Historical Village to learn about the Gitxsan people who have lived in the region for over 8,000 years. Take to the skies above Smithers with Alpine Lakes Air on a short scenic flight over the Babine Mountains to see sweeping views of the range and Babine Lake. Back on the ground, hike to Twin Falls and another local favourite, Crater Lake, which has a trail through beautiful wildflower meadows that goes into the alpine and over a plateau to the secluded lake set on Hudson Bay Mountain.
We asked Callum how he prepared for his trip to the north:
“With COVID-19 being a concern, we wanted to minimize our chances of potential exposure by packing lots of hand sanitizer, face masks, gloves, and sanitizing wipes. We were also extra cautious in our own friend bubbles leading up to the trip. With Northern BC having such pristine wilderness areas, we did our best to practice “Leave No Trace” principles at all times, even packing out some trash we found. With the possibility of encountering wildlife at any moment in time, we carried bear spray and made lots of noise on trails for our peace of mind. We’d recommend packing bug spray to make your adventures a little more comfortable. And you can see four seasons of weather in one day in this part of British Columbia, so always pack layers and a waterproof jacket so you’re prepared for anything that comes your way.”
Respecting the wishes of Indigenous communities that have requested no visitors during COVID-19, Callum was careful to make sure he only visited places that were open to visitors at the time of his trip. Please note that the Nass Valley has since closed to visitors (as of Sept 2020).
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