Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The next place to stop and stretch your legs is the viewpoint at
Moricetown Canyon,
where the 500-meter-wide (1,640-foot-wide) Bulkley River funnels and roars its way down
through a 15-meter-wide (49-foot-wide) canyon. Salmon desperately hurl themselves up
these spectacular rapids in autumn. Below the canyon the river pours into a large pool, cre-
ating one of the best fishing spots in the area. The canyon is part of
Moricetown Indian
Reserve,
which recognizes an area that has been a Carrier village site for more than 5,000
years. Villagers still fish the canyon using traditional spears and nets; look for locals con-
gregated around the canyon in summer.
Continuing west, the scenery changes dramatically; suddenly pine trees line the Bulkley
River and cover the hills and mountains. About 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Smithers, a
four-kilometer (2.5-mile) unpaved road to the north leads to 307-hectare (760-acre)
Ross
Lake Provincial Park,
named for a lake with crystal-clear waters full of trout and Dolly
Varden. The backdrop is one of forested hills and spectacular snowcapped peaks. In the
early mornings you can hear loons; in the evenings beavers slide into the water, slapping
their tails.
It's easy to be confused by the three Hazeltons—Hazelton, New Hazelton, and South
Hazelton—situated at the most northerly point on the Yellowhead Highway. As usual, the
arrival of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway caused the confusion. The original Hazelton
(called Old Town) was established 50 years or so, before the railway came. The other two
Hazeltons were founded because each of their respective promoters thought he owned a bet-
ter spot for a new railway town. Today, the largest of the three small communities is New
Hazelton (pop. 900), a service center watched over by spectacular Rocher DeBoule (French
for mountain of the rolling rock).
From New Hazelton, Highway 62 leads about eight kilometers (five miles) northwest
to Hazelton. Along the way it crosses
Hagwilget Suspension Bridge,
79 meters (260
feet) above the turbulent Bulkley River. Stop and read the plaque about the original foot-
bridge—made from poles and cedar rope—that once spanned the gorge here; you'll be glad
you live in modern times. At the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers, Hazelton has
retained its unique 1890s-style architecture and pioneer settlement atmosphere.
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