We spent a bit over two months in the interior of BC this summer. We had passed quickly through there in 2003, coming down the Cassiar from Alaska. I recommend it for a destination trip such as ours was. Friendly people and beautiful country. Because it is so very mountainous, there are only a few routes and they follow the terrain. We went up the Fraser River valley on highway 97 to Williams Lake. From there a side trip to Bella Coola on highway 20 and back. Then up through Prince George to pick up the Yellow Head (16) west. We spent time in Smithers (beautiful alpine town), Terrace (nice town on the salmon rich Skeena), Meziadin provincial park and Kiniskan Lake CG on the Cassiar, among others.

The dollar was almost par and the prices were high by US standards. Four dollars per gallon for fuel, $34 for a 4 liter box of their cheapest table wine, etc. Food was also quite high. Campgrounds were not far off US prices. $14 for most provincial CGs. $20 for the more popular ones. The provincial forest service has recreation sites and most are free, but most are also very sparse. An exception was Dugan Lake, near Williams Lake which had nice improved sites and toilets and was free. There were others, but not a lot. For those with a pop-up or camper, these would allow free camping in beautiful settings. We spent several days in an unused stampede (rodeo) grounds along highway 20, free, all alone and with a magnificent view. That was an exception with our 30 ft fiver.

Because of the geology and climate of the area, the feeder rivers tend to be very steep and seasonal to the runoff. I'm on thin ice here because there are exceptions, especially in other parts of the province. I strongly recommend taking some kind of boat if possible. I would probably haul a Zodiac if I were going again, because it is truly a land of lakes. And some are over a hundred miles long and hundreds of feet deep. There are huge trout to be taken in the lakes and most people troll. Also, the summer salmon runs bring a lot of bears to the smaller streams that are also great trout streams in that area. I fly fished a beautiful stream near Meziadin with hundreds of red, spawning sockeyes streaming by me. The CG host, who was a local, finally convinced me it was a bad idea. If you are going to river bank fish for salmon, think tackle that will let you toss a 7 ounce weight a long way out. Also big fly rigs to floss the sockeyes. Also take spare tackle, because replacing things up there is very pricey.

This is probably more than most of you wanted to know. Feel free to ask any specifics. Bill