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Canoe Trip from Houston to Telkwa
by Debi Smith
If you have a spare day to do something fun and inexpensive, why not paddle down the Morice/Bulkley River from Houston to Telkwa?

We decided to try it!

Day trips by canoe are great fun once you have them organized. The biggest problem we found was planning our return, because unlike a lake, you can't reverse your boat and paddle home.

Dropping off the canoes and the co-pilots
Now that we've done it a few times I'd say it's best to find a driver willing to come and pick you up at a pre-determined place and time. The alternative to this is a lot of work, but it can be done.

The first bumbling year, the guys dropped off Jane and I and the two canoes at Bymac Park, then they tore off in two vehicles to the planned destination. There they left one vehicle to come home in, and returned to us in the other. This takes a lot of time, gas and when you're back in town, you still have the other vehicle to pick up and retie a canoe to. It's definitely best to find someone you can rely on and that maybe you can return the favor for sometime. We hired a teen driver to drop us off and collect us at the other end, which worked out great.
The water at ByMac is usually shallow enough to put in ANYthing
A word of caution before you go. The Morice or the Bulkley are NOT rivers to ride during spring run off. The water is too high and swift and has spilled more than a few canoeists into its freezing waters while tearing their wooden vessels in half.

Always wear a life jacket no matter what time of year you go! And last, don't forget to bring your splashproof camera!

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