Dawson Creek
July 23, 2015 1:58 pm Leave your thoughts
Hello friends,
This week I will share with you another chapter of my exploration of the countryside around Grande Prairie. I hope that these trips will give you readers some ideas for places to go and things to see when you are next in the Grande Prairie area.
This past weekend I went to Dawson Creek in British Columbia which is approximately 150 km northwest of Grande Prairie. This is a day trip I would highly recommend for anyone interested in exploring the area. Driving out of the city, I left the parkland behind for the forests of northern British Columbia. Along my way I passed through towns like Beaverlodge, Demitt, Pouce Coupe and Hythe. I found Pouce Coupe particularly interesting as many of the old buildings were preserved along the highway. Later, as I descended into Dawson Creek the land opened up and returned to the parkland of the south once again.
Once I got to town I stopped at the farmers market where I purchased some fresh fruit, buns and squares for a quick lunch. Walking down the main street I wandered through a used bookstore and café that had a custom house tea blend. There is nothing better than having a bookstore and cafe all in one! It definitely struck me as a quirky town. After walking down the main street, I made my way to the old grain elevators now converted into the City’s art gallery. It was fantastic to see the wealth of artistic talent that exists in the area. I was also surprised that there was an electric vehicle charging station in the parking lot! Right outside of the art gallery lay Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. Built between 1942 and 1944, the 2,700 km Alaska Highway links Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Fairbanks, Alaska in response to the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands during the Second World War. Today the historic route provides an interesting road trip for the adventurous tourist with historic signposts marking each mile of pavement. I took my own adventure on this scenic route up to mile 20 where I turned off and followed the old route of the highway to the Kiskatinaw Provincial Park. The real jewel of this park is the Kiskatinaw Bridge which is a three span timber truss bridge with an incredible nine-degree curve. Upon parking, I hiked below the bridge and along the rocky banks of the river before stopping for lunch and a swim.
The small provincial campground is a fantastic place to stop for the evening with showers and swimming in the calm and relatively shallow Kiskatinaw River. I would love to return for another visit one weekend and do some camping.
So long for now,
Amy