NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 580

RECREATION
Hiking
Hikers can follow the Heritage River Trail through the city, past interpretive signs de-
tailing local natural history. The clearly marked trail, open to hikers, joggers, cyclists, and
cross-country skiers, runs between Cameron Street Bridge and Carney Park. You can make
an 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) loop of it if you complete the circuit by following Carney Street
north back to the trailhead. Ask for the Heritage River Trails pamphlet at the information
center.
Forest for the World, a 106-hectare (262-acre) recreation area set aside for forest
demonstrations, hiking, and cross-country skiing, was established in 1986 to commemorate
Prince George's 75th anniversary. To get there, take 15th Avenue to the west end of the city,
continue onto Foothills Boulevard, and turn left on Cranbrook Hill Road, which steeply
climbs Cranbrook Hill. At the signs for Forest for the World, turn left on Kueng Road and
continue to the end. From the parking lot, hiking trails lead to Shane Lake (10 minutes one-
way), where beavers and waterfowl are present, and to a hilltop viewpoint northwest of
Shane Lake (15 minutes one-way).
Farther out is Eskers Provincial Park, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Prince
George (access is off Highway 97 along Pine Marsh Rd.). Named for the park's main fea-
tures, the eskers, or long gravel ridges, were deposited by a receding glacier at the end of
the last ice age. Fifteen kilometers (9.3 miles) of hiking trails lead around Circle Lake to
two viewing platforms and through forests of aspen, lodgepole pine, and Douglas fir.
ENTERTAINMENT
Nightlife
Of the city's many pubs and nightclubs, one of the most popular is Steamers (2595 Queen-
sway St., 250/562-6654, from 11am daily), with typical pub meals and bands playing most
weekends. For a quiet drink in typical hotel surroundings, head for Coach's Corner (Ra-
mada Prince George, 444 George St., 250/563-0055, 11am-11pm daily).
The Arts
Studio 2880 (2820 15th Ave., 250/562-4526, 9:30am-5pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-2pm Sat.) is
the local arts center, operated by the local Community Arts Council. It hosts many cultur-
al activities, acts as a ticket office for events, and organizes workshops, art classes, con-
certs, ballets, special events, and two major craft markets each year. Theatre North West
(556 North Nechako Rd., 250/563-6969, www.theatrenorthwest.com ) offers a five-play sea-