Road map Prince George surrounding area (BC, Canada)

From Prince George the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) traces  the Canadian National Railway route (once the Grand Trunk Pacific  Railway route) before reaching the Kitimat Ranges and Prince Rupert,  gateway by ferry to Alaska and the Queen Charlotte Islands. Along the  way are towns that owe their beginnings to Native fishing villages, the  fur trade, the Gold Rush, the railway, salmon canneries, sawmills, and  mines, as well as bird sanctuaries, unique landscapes carved by molten  lava, and the world's most spectacular collection of totem poles.

Fort St. James [D7] In 1806, Simon Fraser and his crew built a  trading post on the shores of Stuart Lake. Today fur-trade days  flourish and Fraser's spirit lives on at Fort St. James National  Historic Site, which boasts the largest collection of fur-trade  structures still standing on their original location. Staff in period  dress re-create life as it was in the 1890s.

The Hazeltons [C4-C5]

This cluster of towns-comprising Hazelton, South Hazelton, and  New Hazelton-have been home to the Gitxsan First Nation for thousands  of years. Explore their rich past on the Hands of History Driving Tour  between The Hazeltons and Kitwanga. The tour covers 19 marked historic  sites and dozens of elaborately carved totem poles along the way, many  depicted in Emily Carr's paintings. The 'Ksan Historical Village and  Museum is a re-created traditional Gitxsan village, showcasing their  unique art and culture. Tour tribal longhouses, learn the legends behind  the totem poles created at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast  Indian Art, and sample traditional aboriginal cuisine.

Kitimat [D4] Located at the head of a 90-km-long navigable  fjord, Kitimat was built in the early 1950s by Alcan Smelters and  Chemicals Ltd. The natural deep-sea harbor, flat land for development,  and accessibility of hydroelectrici-ty made Kitimat a perfect choice for  the new plant. Take advantage of the free tour of the massive smelter,  one of the world's largest. The Kitimat River is famous for salmon,  trout, and steelhead fishing; the Douglas Channel for salmon and  halibut.

Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park [C4] Some 250 years  ago, molten lava spilled down the Tseax Valley, killing 2,000 Nisga'a  people. Today, apart from tenacious lichens and mosses, little  vegetation pokes through the dramatic moonscape terrain here. Explore  the park's rich native culture, and discover unique features of a  volcanic landscape, including lava tubes and spatter cones.

Bushplanes in Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert [D3]

Towering mountains serve as a backdrop to this bustling  transportation hub for ferry, air, and rail travel. Prince Rupert harbor  is said to be the world's third largest natural ice-free deep-sea  harbor, and the area is rich in archaeological sites. Archaeology harbor  tours to the village of Metlakatla leave from the Museum of Northern  British Columbia; the dramatic longhouse-style museum building is well  worth a visit. In Port Edward, 20 km south of Prince Rupert, is the  North Pacific Cannery Village Museum, a national historic and cultural  site that comes to life in summer with live performances and costumed  guides. Built in 1889, it is the oldest surviving salmon cannery in the  province.

Smithers [C5] Its location at the base of Hudson Bay Mountain,  Bavarian-style storefronts, murals, and redbrick sidewalks make  Smithers a shutterbug's delight. The surrounding wilderness is a mecca  for outdoor enthusiasts, especially hunters and fishers. Driftwood  Canyon Provincial Park has intriguing fossils, the Smithers Community  Forest an interpretive nature trail, and Adams Igloo Wildlife Museum an  extensive collection of mounted fauna.

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Queen Charlotte Islands

Shrouded in mist and rain, this 250 km archipelago of more  than 150 islands has been the Haida Gwaii (homeland) to the Haida for  thousands of years. Reached by ferry from Prince Rupert, Graham Island  is the largest, most populous, and easy to get around by car. In Naikoon  (Haida for "long nose") Provincial Park, visitors can comb the pristine  beaches for driftwood and agates, or catch a glimpse of Sitka deer,  bald eagles, and seals. Whales often appear along the shores and inlets.  The rich arts and culture of the Haida is still alive in the old  villages of Massett, Port Clemens, and the Haida Gwaii Museum at  Skidegate, which houses the world's largest collection of carvings in  argi I lite, a soft black slate rock found only in the Charlottes.

Moresby Island is mainly taken up by Gwaii Haanas National  Park Reserve, accessible only by air or sea. The village of Ninstints on  Anthony Island, at the southern tip of the Charlottes, has been  designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Remains of houses and carved  mortuary and memorial poles illustrate the Haida people's art and way of  life. Tours are available from Queen Charlotte City.