NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 584

GETTING THERE AND AROUND
Prince George is roughly in the center of British Columbia. To drive from Vancouver, which
is 780 kilometers (484 miles) to the south via Highway 1 and Highway 97, takes around
nine hours.
Prince George Airport is 18 kilometers (11 miles) east of town. It is linked to Van-
couver by Air Canada (888/247-2262) and WestJet (800/538-5696) and to many British
Columbian regional centers by Central Mountain Air (888/865-8585). The Airporter
Shuttle Service (250/563-2220) provides shuttle service between the airport and downtown
and meets all arriving flights. VIA Rail operates transcontinental service from Prince Ge-
orge west to Prince Rupert and east through Jasper and Edmonton to Toronto and bey-
ond. The VIA Rail station is on 1st Avenue between Brunswick and Quebec Streets (250/
564-5233, www.viarail.ca ) . Greyhound (1566 12th Ave., 250/564-5454) runs regularly
scheduled services from Prince George south to Kamloops and Vancouver (via Williams
Lake and Quesnel); west along the Yellowhead Highway to Terrace and Prince Rupert;
north to Dawson Creek via Chetwynd; and east along the Yellowhead Highway to Jasper
and Edmonton.
The Prince George Transit System operates buses throughout the city daily except
Sunday. Pick up a current Prince George Rider's Guide from the information center or
call 250/563-0011 for an automated timetable. For a cab, call Prince George Taxi (250/
564-4444). Car-rental agencies with desks out at the airport are Budget (250/552-0768) and
National (250/963-7473).
West from Prince George
VANDERHOOF
The first town west of Prince George, at 65 kilometers (40 miles), is Vanderhoof (pop.
3,800), a service center for the Nechako Valley and British Columbia's geographical center
(the exact spot is marked by a cairn five kilometers east of town). Vanderhoof grew as a stop
on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Today it's a prosperous farming and logging town.
Sights
The 1914 building at the corner of Highway 16 and Pine Avenue houses Vanderhoof Com-
munity Museum (471 1st St., 250/567-2991, 10am-5pm daily late May-Sept., free). The
museum displays mounted specimens of birds and animals, pioneer equipment, blacksmith-