NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 599

When locals want to cool down on a hot summer's day, they head south along Highway
37 for 26 kilometers (16 miles) to 354-hectare (874-acre) Lakelse Lake Provincial Park,
at the north end of beautiful Lakelse Lake. It offers good swimming beaches backed by
shaded picnic areas, and a hiking trail through an old-growth forest of towering spruce.
Accommodations and Camping
The less expensive motels are strung out along Highway 16 on the eastern and western out-
skirts of the city. To the west, your best bet is Cedars Motel (4830 Hwy. 16, 250/635-2258
or 866/635-2258, www.cedarsmotel.net , $75 s, $85 d), which was last renovated in 2009
and comes with wireless Internet and a light breakfast. On the other side of town is Cop-
per River Motel, three kilometers (1.9 miles) east (4113 Hwy. 16, 250/635-6124 or 888/
652-7222, www.copperrivermotel.com , $85 s, $90 d), set up for anglers, with fishing sup-
plies and guides, and free ice. Rooms are clean and have coffee-and tea-making appliances.
On the down side are the paper-thin walls. Right downtown is Inn of the West (4620
Lakelse Ave., 250/638-8141 or 800/716-6199, www.innofthewest.com , $135 s, $145 d),
where each of the 50 air-conditioned rooms is decorated in stylish pastel colors.
Camping
On Ferry Island in the Skeena River, just over three kilometers east of downtown, Ferry Is-
land Campground (250/615-9657, mid-Apr.-early Oct., $22-27) offers 100 sheltered sites
among birch and cottonwood trees, berry bushes, and wildflowers. A few sites have excel-
lent views of the river and mountains, and a hiking trail runs through the woods and around
the island. Facilities include picnic tables and shelters, fire grates, firewood, and pit toilets,;
a few sites have electrical hookups, but no showers.
Two local provincial parks have campgrounds. Kleanza Creek Provincial Park (519/
826-6850 or 800/689-9025, www.discovercamping.ca , mid-May-mid-Sept., $16), site of a
short-lived gold rush, is 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Terrace on Highway 16. The camp-
ground has only 34 sites, but the riverside location is scenic, and a short trail leads into
a box canyon. But my pick of the two is Lakelse Lake Provincial Park (519/826-6850
or 800/689-9025, www.discovercamping.ca , mid-May-mid-Sept., $25), 16 kilometers (10
miles) south of Terrace along Highway 37. The most developed of the three parks, it offers
a sandy beach, lake swimming, hot showers, and flush toilets. The campground is very pop-
ular, so make reservations well in advance.