In the North Country: On the Yellowhead and Nisga’a Highways, BC Canada

Snow capped mountains reflected in Lava Lake, Nisga

Sii T’ax (Lava Lake) in Nisga’a Provincial Park
This is a sight worth detouring for! On a blue-sky morning, it’s a beautiful and quiet place – albeit with a sad history. This lake in Northern British Columbia, Canada, was enlarged when lava flow from a volcanic eruption dammed the Tseax River. That same eruption wiped out two villages of Nisga’a people.

I love a road trip!

It was my first trip back to Canada for several years – thanks to life, and Covid19, and stuff.

I had some painful business to deal with, so I had decided to reward myself afterwards with a long-dreamed-of trip to the magical islands of Haida Gwaii (see: Weekly Wanders Haida Gwaii). Haida Gwaii is not the easiest place to get to, and I spent some time in British Columbia’s northwest city of Prince Rupert (see: Butze Rapids) before catching the ferry for the rough, nine-hour-plus crossing of the Hecate Strait to get there.

The ferry back to the mainland after my week-long stay on the archipelago was an overnight trip (see: xxxx) which landed me back on the mainland before 6:00am.

Not a thing was open! I couldn’t get so much as a cup of coffee. I had a room reserved in Smithers, about four hours from the coast, but of course wouldn’t have access to that until later in the afternoon. I parked outside a closed fast-food outlet to tap into their wifi so I could plot my day.

My option was to drive …

While I was travelling, I heard stories about the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park. Some time between 1668 and 1778, the Tseax Cone (the Nisga’a volcano) in the Nass Valley erupted, wiping out two villages and killing about 2,000 Nisga’a people. It was Canada’s deadliest volcanic disaster – and one which, until recently – I’d never heard of.

So, when I reached Terrace on the Yellowhead Highway, in stread of heading directly to Smithers where I was scheduled to meet an old friend later in the day, I turned left and detoured further north on the winding Nisga,a Highway through the scenic Kitsumkalum Valley.

Join me on some northern roads.

A curve in Highway 16 with trees and mountains, Prince Rupert, BC, Canada

Highway 16, Prince Rupert, BC
The roads are quiet and a pleasure to drive this far north.

Workers in orange, Highway 16, Prince Rupert, BC, Canada

Roadside Workers
Most of the people I come across outside of the city are there to do a job: I don’t know what service these men belonged to, but I liked the colour of their vests against the endless rain-forest green.

Moments of Wonder – Dandelions

Prince Rupert Dock
The small city of Prince Rupert is essentially a port: serving as the land, air, and water transportation hub for British Columbia’s North Coast.

Eagle Bluff Bed & Breakfast Cow Bay
Prince Rupert has the dubious honour of being Canada’s wettest city. The wooden buildings are brightly painted to ward off any potential wet-weather gloom.

Waterfront
The shops and restaurants along the waterfront are well worth a wander. Be warned though: we are along way north and quite remote here: a technical glitch had all ATMs, wifi, and eftpos inoperational for a large proportion of my stay. Cash only, please!

Museum of Northern British Columbia
Several of my BC friends told me I must visit the Museum Exhibit of Northwest Coast Culture and History while I was in Prince Rupert. I was glad that I took their advice.

Bear Sculpture
This wonderful piece is an example of Tsimshian mortuary art used to store a box with the deceased’s ashes. The bear is a revered spirit animal in Northwest Coast cultures.

Tsimshian Bentwood Box
Made from one piece of wood that is steamed at three corners and bent around to form a box, these beautiful creations were used for both symbolic and practical purposes.

Chief’s Headdress Apron and Leggings

Tlingit Shaman’s Rattle
Northern British Columbia is home to several diverse First Nations, including the Haida, Tlingit, Nisga’a, Tahltan, Gitxsan, Wet’suwet’en, and Carrier (Dakelh) peoples.

Anget Pole of Ninstints
Outside, there is a full-size copy by William Jeffrey of a famous family pole from the now-abandoned village of SGang Gwaay (Ninstints) in Haida Gwaii.

Into the Sunrise along the Yellowhead Highway
The ferry from Haida Gwaii sets me onto the road east before 6am.

… and then the Rain Returned …

My first Moose!
Well, my only moose. I’ve never seen one in the wild. This beautiful mural entitled Swamp Donkey was painted in 2021 by artist Casey Braam on the building next to the Terrace Tim Horton’s – where I parked to get wifi.

Nisga’a Highway
I backtracked, and pointed the car north on Highway 113, where even the ongoing rain could not diminish the mountains in the distance.

Reflections in Lava Lake
Fortunately, the skies cleared when I reached the Sii T’ax (Lava Lake) Picnic Area.

The Visitor Information Centre
The design on this traditional-style longhouse in Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park was painted by Nisga’a artist Jaimie Davis and depicts Gwax Ts’agat (the super being). Unfortunately, the centre was closed.

Nisga’a Memorial Lava Beds
Part of the lava flows that buried the two Nisga’a villages some time around 1700 are accessible from the road. Walking trails provide restricted access – but I wasn’t going to venture far without breakfast or coffee! Even the local museum was not open for another hour.

White Water and the Drowned Forest
I turned the car around – stopping at a point along the Tseax River, where the waters roar past taking fallen timbers with them – and made the resolution to return here one day, with more time.

Small Town – Big Sky!
Late afternoon (after several long-awaited meal-stops!), I made it into Smithers. The magnificent snow-capped Hudson Bay Mountain dwarfs the town.

My Mate the Mountain Goat
I’m a capricorn born in the year of the goat, so goats always grab my attention. The Babine Mountain Goat in Smithers is named for the nearby Babine Mountains Provincial Park, where a healthy population of these animals reside.

A Rare BlueSky!
Rocky Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) are endemic to these remote and rugged mountainous areas of western North America. I’ve only ever seen a few in my life – high above me in the mountains.

Wild Women Walking
The next morning, I follow my friend as she follows a bear trail up the hill behind her house in Telkwa – a small village near Smithers.