THE ALTERNATE ROUTE
Stewart Cassiar
A RUGGED AND UNIQUE ALTERNATE JOURNEY TO THE YUKON & ALASKA
The alternate route to the Yukon and Alaska
For those traveling to the Yukon and/or Alaska, Highway 16 / 37 offers an alternate route from the Alaska Highway. Much less used than the Alaska Highway, it offers very different scenery (not better or worse, just different), making it perfect as part of a circle route.
It is 132 miles shorter than going by the Alaska Highway, but that doesn’t translate into a 2+ hour saving in time, as there are still gravel sections, and much of the highway has many more curves and hills than the Alaska Highway, so your average speed is much less.
Leaving Prince George you travel west on Highway 16 through the Bulkley-Nechako region. After the Nechako Valley your journey west through the region will bring you to the Lakes District where fishing and water sports are at the top of the list. Over 300 lakes offer an abundance of opportunity for the outdoor enthusiast. Spread out across the area are many public campgrounds that offer free rustic camping as well as many privately owned resorts that offer lakeside cabins or full hookups. Heading west you enter the Bulkley Valley, a haven for mountain bikers, skiers, snowboarders, hikers, climbers, mountaineers, and kayakers. The region offers a rich cultural experience that includes museums, art galleries, historic sites and community events.
The Stewart-Cassiar Highway starts at the Junction of Highway 16 / 37 and the confluence of the Kitwanga and Skeena Rivers. Kitwanga is one of the best places in BC to see authentic totem poles. Now a national historic site some 50 amazing totems are within an hours drive of the junction. Visit Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site. The Seven Sisters Mountain Range lends a spectacular scenic backdrop to the area.
The Stewart–Cassiar Highway, also known as the Dease Lake Highway and the Stikine Highway as well as the Terrace–Kitimat Highway from Kitimat to Terrace, is the northwestern most highway in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Plan to camp, enjoy lakeside swimming or fishing and during late summer, watch spawning salmon ascend the fish ladder in scenic Meziadin Lake Provincial Park.
Watch for bears!
BE SURE TO VISIT
Communities Along the Way
Prince George
Prince George is a beautiful city waiting to be discovered. There is so much to see minutes away from the highway and downtown! Why not stay another day, at the Foot Of the Alaska Highway, Bulkey Nechako & Stuart Cassiar!
Vanderhoof
Vanderhoof (population: 4,480) is the Geographical Centre of British Columbia. Visitors here enjoy peaceful views of rolling agricultural hills close to town, along with enticing nearby forests, lakes, creeks, and rivers a little farther out. With four distinct seasons, there are many entertaining activities to experience in and around Vanderhoof.
Fort St. James
Fort St. James is a district municipality and former fur trading post in north-central British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the south-eastern shore of Stuart Lake in the Omineca Country, at the northern terminus of Highway 27, which connects to Highway 16 at Vanderhoof.
Fraser Lake
The Fraser Lake area is located in the Bulkley-Nechako Region of Central British Columbia. The area has some of the province’s most fascinating and delightful scenery. There are many opportunities for: canoeing, hunting, fishing, sight-seeing, swimming, cross-country skiing and boating. The area is a beautiful natural playground right on our doorstep. Come and join us, pleasure and excitement await you!
Houston
The gateway to the Nanika – Kidprice Provincial Park – known for its world class back country canoe route. For visitors, the town offers an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities: Hike the area’s vast forests, or canoe and fish in creeks, rivers, and hundreds of lakes. Drawing visitors from around the world, the steelhead fishing here is legendary. Houston is known as the “Steelhead Capital of the World” because so many anglers flock here for the mighty fish – even though it is catch and release only.
Burns Lake
This small community has so much to offer in the way of beautiful scenery and choice of summer and winter outdoor activities. With 3,000 miles of lakes, the region offers some of the best fishing and boating in BC. Anglers will find fish aplenty in almost every waterway, from pan-sized kokanee to monster char. There is no shortage of camping available. Well-established, easily accessible sites can be found along Tchesinkut, Babine, Francois, Uncha, and Takysie lakes.
Smithers
A plethora of summer and winter activities attract locals and visitors alike. People come to Smithers for fishing, boating, camping, hiking, skiing, shopping or to listen to the local musical talent. Rolling hills and farmland, rivers, creeks, lakes, mountain ranges, green forests, and wildlife such as bears and moose enclose the town. Smithers’ backdrop is snow-peaked Hudson Bay Mountain, which towers above at 1,650m/5,413ft.
Hazelton
Prince George is a beautiful city waiting to be discovered. There is so much to see minutes away from the highway and downtown! Why not stay another day, at the Foot Of the Alaska Highway, Bulkey Nechako & Stuart Cassiar!
Ksan Historical Village & Kitwanga
‘Ksan is a historical village and living museum of the Gitxsan Aboriginal people in the Skeena Country of northwestern British Columbia. Its location is near Hazelton at the confluence of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers.
The starting point of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. Outstanding carved cedar poles – some more than a century old, are found here, as well as St. Paul’s Anglican Church, built in 1893.
Tatogga
Tiny, unincorporated community situated at Tatogga Lake, just south of Iskut.
Dease Lake
Originally a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, established in 1837 by Robert Campbell. Today the community offers full services for travelers.