Off the Beaten Path: Local Gems in The Great Wilderness

Just over 300 years ago, Canada’s most recent volcanic eruption rocked the Nass Valley on Nisg̱a’a Lands, northwest of Terrace. The resulting lava flow filled the valley floor, destroyed two Nisg̱a’a villages, and killed 2,000 residents. The land has become the Anhluut’ukwsim Lax̱mihl Angwinga’asanskwhl Nisg̱a’a Park (Nisg̱a’a Memorial Lava Bed Park), the first provincial park to be jointly managed by a First Nation and BC Parks.

A self-guided driving tour through Nisg̱a’a Lands includes stops at the park to see lava cones and buckled basalt formations on the edge of the lush temperate rainforest, and to learn about the scenic valley’s surreal geology and cultural history. Other natural wonders along an 18-stop auto itinerary include waterfalls, natural hot springs, and a “drowned forest” where trees seem to grow right out of the water.

In the First Nations community of Gitanyow, whose traditional lands encompass roughly 1.7 million hectares of northwestern British Columbia, stands the largest collection of totem poles found in the province. Made from cedar and notable for their number, scale, and craftsmanship, these towering works of art document the histories, territories, and traditions of each “wilp,” or house group, through stylized human, animal, and supernatural forms hewn into the wood.

Surrounded in all directions by peaks, lakes, and rivers that enthrall hikers, mountain bikers, skiers, and anglers, Smithers is a mountain town, through and through. It’s got the trails and waterways for outdoor adventures, but it balances that rugged ethos with two craft breweries, a coffee roaster, and eclectic eateries housed in alpine-style buildings connected by red-brick sidewalks.

From the road, The Great Wilderness boasts thick forest intermittently punctuated by white-toqued peaks. To truly grasp the power and size of this vast land, you need to take to the air.

Soar above its thundering waterfalls and vast icefields on a flight-see trip with Lakes District Air, which operates out of Burns Lake. The company’s small planes seat from three to six people, and are float-equipped to facilitate water landings so guests can get close to waterfalls, or simply stand alone on the shore of a pristine lake like a scene out of an alpine postcard. 

Lakes District Air also organizes trips to remote fly-in-only cabins where anglers can try their luck hooking a trophy rainbow trout. 

On the eastern slopes of the Northern Rocky Mountains, Tumbler Ridge, Western Canada’s only UNESCO Global Geopark, beckons outdoor adventurers with waterfalls, hikes, and wilderness campsites. 

Tumbler Ridge is recognized globally for its nearly 600 million years of geological history. Not only is it the dinosaur capital of BC, boasting impressive Tyrannosaur trackways and dinosaur fossil beds, its otherworldly rock formations, formidable cliffs, and alpine meadows can be linked to modern wildlife like mountain goats and caribou, and to human archaeology, history, and culture, including the area’s Indigenous Peoples. The land here is the traditional territory of the Dunne-za, Saulteaux, Tse’khene, Cree, and Metis peoples which includes the McLeod Lake Indian Band, Saulteaux First Nations, West Moberly First Nations, Kelly Lake Cree First Nations, and Kelly Lake Metis Settlement Society.