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| Come along with us - we'll tell you about the
sights and attractions, the little-known facts and history of
our region... |
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We are travelling from East
to West
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 Houston
to Smithers - 63 km, 39 miles or 39
minutes
 Smithers
to Kitwanga - 110 km, 68 miles or 68 minutes
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KM 0
MILE 0
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We'll start at the 4-way stop light in Houston.
Please set your odometer to 0 |
| You'll see more and more mountains now as we head
into the Coastal Range. The central valley is at about 2000'
elevation. The peaks will range from 5000' to 8000' in height. |
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KM 2.4
MILE 1.5
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Buck Flats |
| As we travel north to Smithers, we will pass the
Telkwa Range of mountains to the left (west) . You can see them
in the distance. There are mountain goat, moose and bear on
most mountains in our area in the summer and there is a small
herd of mountain caribou on the Telkwa Range. |
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KM 10.2
MILE 6.3
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Mountain in distance  |
| If the weather permits, you can catch a glimpse
of Hudson Bay Mountain, at Smithers, ahead and to the left.
The rock shaped like a hat is Barrett Hat, the site of a popular
trail. Barrett Hat is a plug of rock left from the neck
of an ancient volcano. There were many volcanoes in our area
over the last 100 million years but all the soft ash, cinders
and lava have been scoured by recent glaciers, leaving only
the hardest rock and hundreds of feet of glacial till in the
valleys. |
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KM 14.1
MILE 8.75
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Irrigation Lake Park turnoff |
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KM 16.7
MILE 10.4
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Summit Lake Road |
| Summit Lake Road follows the old Collins Telegraph
Trail that was built in 1865 to link San Francisco with Europe
by land-based telegraph lines across the Bering Strait and Russia.
The Telegraph came through Prince George, followed the Bulkley
Valley and turned north at Hazelton. It was never completed
- a telegraph cable across the Atlantic made it unnecessary.
The telegraph line was later completed to the Yukon gold fields
in 1899 and served for a short time. |
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Hungry Hill Summit |
| The mountain to the north is Grouse Mountain.
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KM 22
MILE 13.7
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Rest stop |
| Far ahead and to the right is your first view
of the Babine Mountain Recreation Area. There are many popular
trails to hike in the alpine areas. |
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Distant peaks |
| Now you can see Hudson Bay Mountain on the left
in the distance. Smithers is at the foot of that mountain. Even
further away is the Brian Boru peak in the Hazelton Mountains.
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KM 28
MILE 17.4
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Walcott area |
| To the west (left) you will see the Telkwa Range.
If you turn west on the Walcott Road and drive to the Bulkley
River, you can visit a steel suspension bridge only wide enough
for foot traffic. Originally, it was built in Scotland and spanned
the Bulkley river at Hagwilget, near Hazelton. Later, it was
replaced and cut down in width to serve as a walking bridge. |
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KM 33.8
MILE 21
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Telegraph Cabin |
| On the west side of the highway, you can see an
original cabin from the Collins Telegraph Line. It was no larger
than needed for two men and their supplies, which were delivered
by pack train. One man operated the telegraph, the other patrolled
and repaired the telegraph line. There were no other European
settlers in our area when the Telegraph was first built, but
by 1905, newcomers began establishing farms and ranches. |
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KM 38.5
MILE 24
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Round Lake turnoff, Quick turnoff |
| The Quick Road to the west winds past farms then
crosses the Bulkley River. |
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KM 42.6
MILE 26.5
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Woodmere Road |
| There are many farms and ranches on the back roads
in the Woodmere area. |
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KM 44.9
MILE 27.9
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Rest stop |
| Far off to the west, you can see a large peak
that looks like a pyramid. That is Mt. Sir Robert and Highway
16 is on the far side, on the way from Hazelton to Terrace.
The railroad and the trail that became Highway 16 were originally
surveyed to cut directly through the mountains to Terrace but
were later built in a large northern arc to serve the Hazeltons. |
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KM 46.2
MILE 28.7
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Tree nursery |
| On the west side of the highway, the long plastic-covered
greenhouses are used to grow tree seedlings. All the logging
cut blocks in our region are replanted with tree seedlings to
replace the harvested timber. |
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KM 50
MILE 31
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Village of Telkwa |
| Visit the Telkwa Museum
during the summer months. |
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KM 50.5
MILE 31.4
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Pullout |
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KM 50.9
MILE 31.6
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Tyhee Lake Provincial Park
turnoff |
| Tyhee Lake is at the top of the hill and the park
is a convenient place to camp, picnic or enjoy the view. |
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Babine Mountains ahead on right |
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KM 60
MILE 37.3
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Brian Boru Peak ahead in the distance |
| If you like to hike, it's possible to drive the
Ski Hill Road from Smithers. It's about 24 km to the southern
shoulder of Hudson Bay Mountain. From the ski area parking lot,
you can hike to a view point and look down on the Town of Smithers
and the Bulkley Valley. Follow the ski hill signs from the highway
at the south end of Smithers. |
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KM 63
MILE 39.1
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You should be in Smithers. |
| More information about Smithers
- Supplies and Services are here
- Accommodations are here |
Smithers
to Kitwanga - 110 km, 68 miles or 68 minutes
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| Local BCNorth Group members who provide automotive
parts and service include: |
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