Side Roads
Alcan 5000 Destinations
by Jim Elder
Destinations. That's the focus of Jeep Journal,
and the Alcan 5000 includes so many worthy destinations
along the route that anyone would be tempted to re-run the
rally to visit some, or all, of the interesting places
hurried by.
Barkerville Gold Camp
Northeast of 150 Mile House, just before you get to
Williams Lake, British Columbia, is Horsefly. If you proceed
north you reach Likely. This is the jump-off to the old
trail to Barkerville.
Barkerville is a fascinating restored gold camp, now a
provincial park. It can be reached on a smooth paved highway
from Quesnel. But it might -- weather, washouts and luck
permitting -- be reached via the trail over Yank's Peak.
Figure a full day for the 25 miles, allowing time to move
fallen trees, pile rocks in washouts, explore abandoned
mines and negotiate the narrow trail. Nothing dangerous here
-- just exciting -- but it's best to inquire at 150 Mile
House concerning trail conditions.
Bella Coola
Or you could turn left at Williams Lake and drive 282
miles to Bella Coola. The first 200 miles are through
rolling forest and mountain meadows, ranch country, with
campsites on secluded lakes or along clear streams. Then the
road crosses the southern tip of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park
and starts down. Down for six miles of 18 percent grade,
mostly single-lane, with tight switchbacks, no guard rails
and spectacular views. Again, it is not dangerous, but is
also not for acrophobics.
Bella Coola is a sleepy village at the head of a
sea-level fjord, populated by Native Americans. It is
popular with sportfishermen (most of them fly in) and very
few tourists.
British Columbia Fishing Destinations
There are only a few thousand good river and lake fishing
temptations between the southern and northern British
Columbia borders. The rally route passed a few hundred of
them south of Prince George, and then headed west to
Kitwanga, past Vanderhoof, Fort Fraser and Burns Lake, all
famous for fishing, canoeing and summer camping.
The Bulklley, Telqwa and Skeena rivers draw fishermen --
especially steelhead fishermen -- from all over the world.
At Hazelton, British Columbia, is the 'Ksan Historical
Village, a replica of a Gitksan Indian village. First Nation
arts and crafts are demonstrated, including the building of
dugout canoes and totem poles. Tribal songs and dances are
performed during the summer season.
There are RV camps there and in nearby communities.
West of Hazelton is Kitwanga, the beginning of the
Cassiar Road to the Yukon, to Alaska, and to more
fascinating destinations than we could include in a book,
and certainly not on this month's Jeep Journal. Yukon
alone could fill volumes, and Alaska an entire library. This
month we'll sign off with Stewart, British Columbia, and
Hyder, Alaska.
Stewart and Hyder
Ninety-two miles up the Cassiar is the turnoff to Stewart
and Hyder. The next 40 miles of scenic highway includes Bear
Glacier, which terminates at the highway, a fish hatchery
with visitor tours, and a small Norwegian agricultural
settlement. Stewart and Hyder lie at the head of a fjord,
and the mouths of Bear and Salmon rivers. Mining and timber
were the economic bases, but now tourists are important to
the local livelihood.
Bear watching four miles north of Hyder brings many
visitors. Spawning salmon bring the bears each autumn. An
abandoned mine complex up the Salmon River is an eerie
attraction. The Salmon Glacier on the same gravel road is
one of the largest in British Columbia and famous for the
terminal lake which empties itself each year, then plugs and
refills.
As for Hyder, this was Stewart's "sin city" in the mining
and logging boom times. Stewart is in Canada, where Mounties
kept close watch over worldly entertainment. Hyder grew up
just over the border, in Alaska, where the closest U.S.
marshal was weeks away by boat. The bars never closed in
Hyder.
Things are mostly quiet in Hyder now, but it is a worthy
destination for exploring, bear watching and fishing.
Sources
More later, but for now, you can continue your travel
dreaming or planning on several comprehensive Web sites. A
search for British Columbia will bring up many links. A good
starting point is http://city.net/countries/
canada/british_columbia/. General searches under "Yukon" and
"Alaska" will be fruitful.
Other good links are www.alaska.com and www.state.ak.us.
And don't head north without visiting www.themilepost.com
and buying a current copy of The Milepost. This
guidebook is the standard reference for western Canada and
Alaska.
Copyright (c) 1998 Jim Elder. All rights
reserved.
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