Yellowhead Highway 16, halfway between Prince George (371 km) and Prince Rupert (356 km) in the Bulkley Valley. Population: 5500. Visitor Information: 1411 Court Street; Smithers District Chamber, PO Box 2379, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0; Phone: (250) 847-5072; Email: info@tourismsmithers.com
Graced by red brick sidewalks and alpine storefronts with majestic Hudson Bay Mountain as a backdrop, Smithers was established in 1913 as a divisional headquarters for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, built to link eastern Canada with the western port city of Prince Rupert. Today the town has grown into a distribution and supply centre for the entire Bulkley Valley, with a regional airport offering daily non-stops from Vancouver.
The pleasant climate makes for an outstanding recreational center, where river sports and hiking are world renowned. Mountain biking and hiking trails can be accessed right in town, or Babine Mountain Provincial Park trails are suitable for longer adventures. Fishing is popular on the many nearby lakes, including spectacular Rainbow Alley at Babine Lake. Alpine flowers are spectacular in July and August. In later summer and fall salmon and steelhead return to the Bulkley River. Smithers has an 18-hole championship golf course and a second great course attached to an RV park just minutes from downtown. Hudson Bay Mountain is home to the local ski resort, with 2,000 acres of terrain and 1,750 feet of vertical.
Nearby Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park contains interesting fossils and the area’s only outcropping of Tertiary Period rocks. Geologists have dated these fossil beds back to between ten and twenty million years ago. The beautiful Twin Falls were formed during the last Ice Age when a glacier created a two-kilometer gorge in the mountains.
Smithers also offers a museum rich in local history, and an impressive art gallery. In addition, there is an aquatic center with recreational pool, fitness area, squash courts and a climbing wall.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Trade Show: May
Mid-Summer Festival: July
Canada Day Celebrations: July
Bulkley Valley Fair: Weekend before Labor Day
