"Darby2's Prince George/Caribou-Chilcotin Page" Top 5 Page for this destination Prince George by Darby2

Prince George Travel Guide: 21 reviews and 60 photos

Rainbow trout - Prince George
Rainbow trout
Prince George~ Hub of the North

Prince George is in central B.C. about 500 miles by road north of Vancouver. Now fallen on hard times, it's still a major center for the forest industry. Thousands of hectares of forest in this area have been infested with the Mountain Pine Beetle and much of the prime timber has been damaged . In addition, many huge forest fires ravage the area in the last two years.

However, Prince George continues to struggle. The Quintette coal mine located northeast of here has shut down as well.
Tourists won't find a lot of attractions in Prince George with the exception of its historical sites. It was a major fur trading and trapping area, specially in the area northwest of here near Fort St. James. The recreational possibilities here are endless with hundreds of lakes accompanied by excellent fishing and hunting.

Nemiah Valley, Konni Lake - Prince George

Nemiah Valley, Konni Lake

Approaching Chilko Lake through the beautiful Nemiah Valley.

To reach the Chilcotin country, head south from Prince George on Highway 97 about 170 km and then head west from the town of Williams Lake on Highway 20. (This leads all the way to Bella Coola on the Coast and goes over the spectacular and steep (18% grade) Heckman Pass through Tweedsmuir Park). At one time, trailers could not be pulled through this pass because of the very narrow road and the tight hairpin switchbacks, but it has since been inproved. They used to say that this road was the only one in B.C. where your shock absorbers went up-and-down more often than the pistons in your engine!! LOL Most of the road is now paved.

Here's the official Chilcotin Web Site: http://www.chilcotin.bc.ca/

Heading north from Prince George up the Hart Highway brings you to the magnificent Peace River country of B.C. and the towns of Chetwynd, Hudson's Hope and Fort St. John. Be sure to visit the Bennet Dam and the Peace Canyon Dam when you're in this area.

A few facts and figures on the Bennet Dam:

Q. How tall is the dam?
A. 600 ft.
Q. How much fill is in the dam?
A. 100 million tonnes
Q. How long is the dam?
A. 1.25 miles long
Q. How large is the reservoir?
A. 230 miles long; 10th largest in the world.
Q. What is the volume of water entering the turbine?
A. 500,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)
Q. What is the function of the spillway?
A. To lower the level of the reservoir if it gets too high and threatens to overflow
Q. Why does water level fluctuate downstream?
A. Because BC Hydro produces electricity on demand. A greater demand equals more water
through the turbines

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Great area for outdoorsmen
  • Cons:Fallen on hard times
  • Intro Updated Apr 4, 2004
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Reviews (12)

Jadebird - Prince George Jade carving Off The Beaten Path (5)

As you can see, some beautiful jade carvings come from British Columbia's huge jade resource. A considerable amount of... more travel advice

large jade boulder - Prince George Jade hunting and rockhounding Off The Beaten Path (5)

The area around Prince George and north is a tremendous area for finding high quality jade (nephrite). Three quarters of... more travel advice

Prince George Things to Do (1)

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Chaunigan Lake - Prince George Tenting in the BC Forest Service... Hotels (1)

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