NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 638

fossils can still be found. The best time for searching them out is after heavy
rain—try looking downstream from the dam (a few short trails lead from the highway
into the canyon, but it's a bit of a scramble). The best opportunity to learn more
about local dinosaurs is in the Peace Canyon Dam Visitor Centre (888/333-6667,
8am-4pm daily May-Sept., free).
HUDSON'S HOPE
This small town of 1,000 is the only settlement between Chetwynd and Fort St. John. Foun-
ded as a fur-trading post in 1805, it is a picturesque spot with two nearby dams attracting
the most attention.
Sights
Across from Hudson's Hope Visitor Centre is Hudson's Hope Museum (9510 Beattie
Dr., 250/783-5735, 9am-5pm daily May-Sept., 9am-4:30pm Mon.-Fri. Oct.-April, dona-
tion), comprising historic buildings, such as a trapper's cabin and the log-walled St. Peter's
Church, that were moved to the site from throughout the Peace River Valley. The site itself
is of some historical significance: Simon Fraser spent the winter of 1805-1806 here.
W. A. C. Bennett Dam, seven kilometers (4.3 miles) west of town, is one of the world's
largest earth-filled structures. The 183-meter-high (600-foot-high) structure backs up Wil-
liston Lake, British Columbia's largest lake, which extends more than 300 kilometers (186
miles) along three flooded valleys. At the top of the dam's control building is W. A. C.
Bennett Dam Visitor Centre (250/783-5048, 10am-6pm daily late May-Sept., guided tour
adult $6, senior and child $5), where displays catalog the construction tasks, a film celeb-
rates the dam's opening, and the uses of electricity are detailed. The much smaller Peace
Canyon Dam is downstream from Bennett Dam, nine kilometers (5.6 miles) south of Hud-
son's Hope on Highway 29. The visitor center (250/783-9943, 10am-6pm daily late May-
Sept., free) focuses on the fascinating natural history, exploration, and pioneers of the area,
and the building of the Peace Canyon Project. You can also see the central control system,
powerhouse, and switchgear station. Don't miss a trip up to the outside observation deck.
Accommodations and Camping
Neither of the town's accommodations is outstanding, but the Sportsman Inn (10101 Beat-
tie Dr., 250/783-5523, $100 s or d) has the biggest rooms and an in-house pub and restaur-
ant. The town's three municipal campgrounds each cost $18 per night. Closest to civiliz-