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Airport
Smithers:
Gateway to Bulkley Valley, Interior Plateau and
Mighty Mountain Ranges
In
the green and pleasant Bulkley Valley, sitting
in the shadow
of the splendid 2560 metre Hudson Bay Mountain,
Smithers is a region rich in the history of both
the native peoples and European pioneers, evidenced
by the existence of ghost towns, totem poles and
Chinese graves. This prosperous town is a service
centre for the valley's resource industries and is
a Railway Division Point. The main industries in
the valley include forestry, mining, agriculture,
tourism and transportation. (pop. 5,000)
Smithers marks the
end of the Interior Plateau and is surrounded by
four mountain ranges: the Babine, Hazelton, Telkwa
and Omineca, but none are as dominant as Hudson
Bay, looming over the landscape.
On this
distinctive peak nestles the Kathlym Glacier, an
ice cirque more than 100 metres thick. The glacier
drains through the picturesque 152-metre Twin
Falls, down the rocky walls of two-kilometre-wide
Glacier Gulch.Smithers Airport is the gateway to
the Bulkley Valley and a host of r ecreational
opportunities. With Central Mountain Air now
feeding into Air Canada/ Air BC's system and using
that company's flight numbers, there are now up to
16 air movements daily at the airport. The major
charter flight company of the region, Northern
Lights Air, is also looking at expanding, thanks to
the increase in mining exploration in the area.
Smithers Airport has recently developed a
campground for pilots stopping en route to their
destinations.
Air Update: Terrace - Smithers-Prince Rupert,
Northwest BC
Hawkair Daily Service from Terrace Airport.
Hawkair
will be doubling its flights in late October, 2001,
providing a new daily service for Smithers,
increasing service to Prince Rupert from
twice-weekly to daily, and adding more business day
flights in Terrace. Toll-free 1-866-429-5247 and
1-800-487-1216. Web page http://www.hawkair.net
mailto:reservations@hawkair.
It is in a secure,
fenced area within the parking area. A fire pit,
picnic tables, tenting and toilet facility are
available. Sightseeing flights are offered by
Highland Helicopters and for the more adventurous
there's the increasingly popular new pursuit of
heli-hiking, arranged by Take a Hike Tours. For a
unique experience, contact the Bulkely Valley
Soaring Society- they can take you up in a glider,
soaring silently above the trees and water below.
Within a radius of
a few miles of Smithers is every conceivable
outdoor attraction from fishing, swimming, skiing
and hiking to adventure tourism like kayaking and
white water rafting. Hunting is a popular option
here, thanks to a healthy population of moose, mule
deer, grizzly bears, mountain goats and caribou.
The town has a swimming pool, ice area and curling
rinks, tennis courts, two golf courses and a
driving range. Smithers is becoming a winter resort
known for the challenging skiing available on
Hudson Bay Mountain. The Big Onion-Ganokwa Basin
area of Babine Mountains Recreation Area offers
some of the best snowmobiling in BC.
To explore the
town on foot, take a few hours and follow the
Perimeter Trail, a multi-purpose public trail
system which connects Riverside Park, the Bulkley
River, the Smithers Golf Course and residential and
commercial areas.
If you want to go
further afield, head for the Community Forest,
which is more than 11 times the size of Vancouver's
Stanley Park. It includes an interpretive nature
trail which winds through a variety of ecological
habitats and the Pine Creek Cross Country Ski
Trails.
The Babine
Mountains Recreation Area is one of the finest
hiking areas in west-central BC, comprising 32,000
hectares of mountainous environment within the
Skeena Mountains. Glacier-fed lakes, rugged peaks
and extensive sub-alpine meadows provide back
country recreation opportunities as well as habitat
for healthy populations of mountain goat, moose,
marmot and several species of birds. Tyhee Lake
includes a full facility 33 hectare Provincial Park
with a 200 metre beach front. It boasts the only
float plane base in the area, where fishers and
hunters can be whisked away to wilderness
lakes.
North
by Northwest Tourism Zone
The
North by Northwest region is a blend of romance and
adventure. From awesome Mt. Robson, the highest
peak in the Canadian Rockies, stretches the Trans
Canada / Yellowhead Highway 16, a highway that
promises an adventure-filled journey across the
north, meeting with the mystical Queen Charlotte
Islands or connecting to the Yukon or Alaska.
Campers who enjoy wildlife, outdoor recreation,
native history, hunting and fishing will delight in
the area.
From
the densely forested interior of spruce, pine and
fir to the magnificent red cedars in the rain
forests of the Queen Charlottes, the outdoor
enthusiast has much to see and do. Mountain ranges
stretch through the area, dipping into deep
valleys, coursed by rushing rivers and thousands of
lakes. In the area's rivers and streams lie
record-size salmon and steelhead, a fisherman's
paradise with several varieties of Pacific salmon.
Also abundant are rainbow trout and char. Wildlife
sightings of moose, deer, coyote, fox and black
bear are common along the highways and
"off-the-path" adventure roads.
BC
Attractions, Museums and Historic Sites
How to
attract visitors to your area like a magnet? Let us
count the ways. Air Highways, WingSpan and BC Scene
Magazine present a selection of capsule profiles
featuring BC's most notable attractions, with
background information provided by Tourism BC. We
will add many
of our other favourites in the weeks and months
ahead, including those that have been featured in
our magazines. For starters we have a number of
stories on line, including the Footloose Series on
Vancouver's West End, plus Adventure Roads and
Adventure Rails. There's also a section on Cultural
Tourism and another on Vision
Quest.
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