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A Prince Of A City

A trip to Prince George, northern BC's largest city.

By Prestige Adventures

A stopover at an ancient forest

It's a bold statement to put "Beautiful BC" on a license plate, but there's good reason for it - we actually live in one of the most stunningly beautiful places on the planet and if you've done any traveling around the province you've not only seen the beauty, but also the diversity. The different physical aspects of my home province was evident as I hopped into my SUV and headed off from Kelowna, taking a northern route up Highway 16. Over the 8 hours I was slated to drive to Prince George (my first stop in a northern BC tour), I drove through farmlands; by fresh-water lakes; the mighty Fraser River and countless forested areas. Still, my first stop was to be an area I hadn't yet visited - an ancient rainforest, accessible just off the highway.

The Ancient Forest (Chun T'oh Whudujut Provincial Park) is a unique wet-temperate rainforest in central BC, situated 115 km (72 miles) east of Prince George. This is a forest ecosystem that combines attributes of both the coastal wet-temperate rainforests of British Columbia and adjacent boreal forests of Alberta and the far north.

As I pulled into the parking lot, located a stone's throw from the highway, there were families stepping out of RV's; a school bus, loaded with kids trailing out of the front door, excited to be out of the classroom; an elderly couple with their two small dogs and a woman in a wheelchair just starting to push herself up a wooden pathway leading into the forest. From these park visitors I could tell that this was going to be an easy-moderate trail, built for almost everyone's enjoyment.

I unpacked my camera, threw a water bottle into my backpack and headed off up a slightly steep hill. Within a hundred meters, I stepped on a well-constructed boardwalk that would take me to the two high points of the trail I was looking forward to photographing - the "big tree" and the "waterfalls."

Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park

the work of volunteers

In 2006, members of the Caledonia Ramblers began flagging a 15 km backcountry trail for hikers, and a 2.5 km loop for a nature trail at the lower elevation that would eventually become the Ancient Forest Trail. Given the beauty of the area, which includes 1,000 year old cedars, rare mosses and lichens, the Ancient Forest trail provided an opportunity for people to enjoy the forest while the ecosystem remained protected.

Over 200 volunteers hauled by hand 74 tons of crushed rock, gravel, lumber and hardware into the forest to built the boardwalk.

While I was there, a group of men were working to build a new viewing platform. It was tough work, with all the materials having to be hauled by hand up the trail.

“We wanted to make this unique forest open to everyone without exception, but the consequences of building the boardwalk have become larger than that,” said Nowell Senior, a volunteer with the Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Club. “The Universal Boardwalk not only invites people with challenges, but also people without challenges. It has become an attraction in itself and a place where community gathers.”

Caledonia Ramblers volunteers building a viewing platform in the forest

a retreat to treasure cove

I pulled into Prince George late afternoon, checked into my hotel for the night, the Prestige Treasure Cove. I hadn't read anything about the hotel and was pleasantly surprised to see that it not only had a gym, a swimming pool (with a waterslide for the kids) and hot tub, but it had a casino attached to it. After unpacking, taking a few laps in and a hot tub to take out the kinks, I grabbed a quick dinner at Hummus Brothers Restaurant and Lounge which is just out the front door of the hotel. My next stop was a turn into the casino. I hadn't been in one since a trip to Vegas a few years ago and as soon as I walked through the doors of the casino the familiar sounds of the slot machines enveloped me. It wasn't a big space (compared to the beomoths of Vegas) but it was comfortable, well-lit and bustling with patrons. Just the people watching was a good distraction before heading back to my room to catch some zzz’s before exploring a local park the next morning.

into the woods

The sun broke through my curtains just before 7 a.m. waking me from the restful sleep. My first stop out the door was back to Hummus Brothers Restaurant. When I had checked in the day before, I was given a coupon for $10 off my breakfast, so a return visit was on my itinerary. I ordered a spinach omelet, which came with toast and home fries and coffee. With the coupon, the meal was under $10 ... I've never had a breakfast as good, or inexpensive as I found here.

Needing to work off my breakfast, I headed out the door, hopped into the SUV and made the 15 minute drive from the hotel to Cottonwood Island Nature Park.

A bridge leading into Cottonwood Island Nature Park

dragons, eagles and faces, oh my.

The origins of Prince George can be traced to the North West Company fur trading post of Fort George, which was established in 1807 by Simon Fraser and named in honour of King George III. The post was centred in the centuries-old homeland of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, whose very name means "people of the confluence of the two rivers."

Cottonwood Island Nature Park, a prime destination for residents and tourists year-round, has a group of trails that meander near the shoreline of the Nechako River and into a forest of many 100 year-old Cottonwood trees.

It's a beautiful, 32-hectare nature park that's also the starting point for an 11 km Heritage River Trail System connecting a number of parks along the river.

After crossing the bridge leading into one access point into the park, I spoke to a man with two small dogs eager to get their walk underway and he said to me "the park has eyes ... so pay attention as you walk." Not knowing what he was talking about, but intrigued, I slowed down my pace and kept my eyes open. Within a few minutes I spotted something unusual jutting out from one of the trees. A small indigenous face, carved into the bark of one of the Cottonwood trees was staring back at me.

As I continued my walk through the park, I discovered about five more, including more faces, birds and a dragon. The carvings are the work of artist Elmer Gunderson.

The intricately detailed faces are about the size of the palm of your hand. Some are in plain sight, others are off the beaten path. He estimates there are about 15 carvings in all.

Gunderson says it's been fun watching people go on "scavenger hunts" to find all of the faces he's carved.

In a CBC radio interview he said: "It's just so heartwarming to see the expressions on their faces when they look up and see these different things in the trees," he said. "Everyone's been so helpful and rewarding to me and encouraging me and thanking me. You can't describe it."

a winding trail by the river

It was a perfect fall day with the sun peeking through yellow and red leaves. The trail led me by the river, eventually taking me to the underside of the historical vertical-lift rail bridge. It took me about an hour of walking, stopping to take pictures along the way.

taking flight

As I did a full circle route through the park, I ended up back at my car. But before I packed my camera away, a local regular of the park, Stan Kuzma, asked me where I was from ... what I was up to and how did I enjoy the park. After speaking with him for a few minutes he invited me to see one last thing - a reason why he came to the park on regular basis - he introduced me to one of the many families of chickadees who called the park home.

Stan Kuzma regularly visits the park to feed the chickadees

local tap house

Prince George, with a population of just a smidgen over 73,000, is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is the Northern Capital of BC. Situated at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers, and the crossroads of Highway 16 and Highway 97, the city is the service and supply hub for one of the fastest-growing regions in Canada and plays an important role in the province's economy and culture.

One of the great things about touring the province is not only being able to tour the sites, take hikes and look for photographic possibilities, but it's discovering great local businesses.

A passionate self-described 'foodie' I must admit one of the first things I do when I hit the hotel is I pull out my computer and do a Google search for the restaurants, focusing on local - those establishments who source from local food artisans and farmers.

A few people I met in my park walk, when asked, mentioned Crossroads Brewing - not only did they source their food locally, but they made beer in-house - I couldn't go wrong.

Chef Wayne Kitchen received his chef schooling in Prince George

revitalizing downtown

The brewery is located in a 70 year-old historic building in downtown Prince George. Originally built as a garage and car dealership in 1946, the building housed a number of businesses before sitting empty for many years. The brewery owners saw the building’s unique potential. They purchased it and undertook extensive renovations, making it an anchor business in a revitalizing downtown area. The manufacturing facility features the original brewhouse and tanks from Central City Brewing, which at its peak, made 8,000 hectolitres annually of World Beer Cup winning beer.

a vital art center

The Two Rivers Gallery is an important cog in the wheel of Canadian and local artists. My first impressions, standing outside the gallery were "wow" followed by "what a stunning building." The exterior of the building, with a sloping roof, arching ribs and a forecourt of boulders and shrubs are meant to symbolize cutbanks and the riverbank of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers which flow through the area.

Two Rivers Gallery - where creativity flows

carving with meaning

Not only is it a landmark in the heart of downtown, Two Rivers Gallery is the hub for arts and culture in Prince George and across BC’s north. The gallery features contemporary Canadian art, along with the work of emerging and regional artists. The day I visited I could see middle-school aged students making art in the upstairs atrium which regularly hosts programs for toddlers, seniors, and everyone in between.

I was advised to look for an Indigenous artist who was carving a large piece in a room just off the atrium.

To honour his murdered mother and those who face a similar fate across the globe, master carver Lenard Wis-ka-chan, a native name that means 'Whiskey Jack bird' (Paquette Jackson is his English name), of the Cree Nation, is letting his work send out its message.

In an article written by the Prince George Citizen, as he was carving a totem pole, he said: "I want to honour my mother who was murdered when I was two and a half years old and other women from around the world who have been murdered, terrorized, and beaten. It's time for us to stop that. Women should be treated with kindness and respect. They are the life givers."

On the day I met him at the Two Rivers Gallery he was carving a commissioned wooden sculpture - a canoe filled with various birds and animals that represent all people of the world.

With his studio located next to the atrium where the children were making art, Lenard said that he spends much of his time there guiding children who come to the Two Rivers Gallery.

"They just want to learn and they are so creative. In the 1950s and 1960s native people never had the opportunity to share their knowledge but now we're accepted more and we must educate the children and introduce them to all cultures of people."

a place to explore

It was a bright fall day, with yellow leaves blanketing the green space surrounding Exploration Place in Prince George as I entered the facility's parking lot. A low-slung, modern-designed building, Exploration Place is more than just a museum - it's a place kids love to visit, crawling through the dino dig area and petting their collection of animals in the Biome Gallery.

The morning I arrived the place was packed with parents and their children, running from exhibit to exhibit (it was a school holiday I was told). You could hear the chaos of excited kids putting their faces inside replica dinosaur heads, or measuring their height against the life-size dino figures stretching throughout the exhibit hall.

I had the most fun watching a group of girls and boys huddled around one of the staff who was challenging them to hold a snake. "Who wants to have a boa necklace?" he would say. Most kids shied away, but a couple of brave souls put up their hands, game to give it a try. One of the dads even gave it a go, to the excitement of his daughters.

Kids get to feed the resident pets in the Biome at Exploration Place

the final shot.

Leaving Exploration Place, I happened to walk over to the river that runs close to the parking lot. On my way there, I came across the very Canadiana scene of a mother taking pictures of her child in the bright yellow fallen leaves. Laura had her iPhone out and was snapping away, capturing the Fall moment, knowing all to well that soon, the snow would fall and once again, Prince George would be in the grips of winter.