Grande Cache
Stop #1: The Mine Prep Plant and ATCO Electric Plant - Drive 19.5 km north on Highway 40 and stop at the pullout.
People knew about the high quality coal here for years, but the railroad and the access road were not built until 1969. It was only after the newly forged access road and railroad went in that the coal could be exploited and a mine could be built. From this vantage point you should be able to spot a tunnel that winds through the mountain. This was used back in the day to get the coal to the Prep Plant where it was cleaned and readied for shipment to Vancouver by railroad.
Stop #2: The Sulphur Gates - Drive 12.8 km from the mine back towards town.
You'll see a sign for the Sulphur Gates with a road branching off to the right. From here it's 7.5 km to the actual Gates. Park in the second staging area and follow the trail to the left along the cliff to get a good view of the Gates. The Sulphur Gates are part of a geological formation known as the Cadomin Formation. The Sulphur River that flows there got its name from sulphur springs located upstream. The Smoky River was so named by the First Nations people because, from time to time, lightning would strike in the mountains and ignite the exposed coal seams on the banks. The smoke would roll off the mountains and down over the river below.
Stop #3: Grande Cache
Drive the 13 km back into town. Grande Cache got its name from an Iroquois fur trader named Ignace Giasson who cached a large supply of fur in the area during the winter sometime between 1818 and 1821.
Stop #4: Victor Lake
Drive 1 km south on Highway 40 until you see the right turn to Victor Lake, which is at the bottom of the big hill. Drive 0.6 km to the old airstrip, turn left and park near the white pump-house. The old airstrip was used by Forestry for years to fight fires in the region before there was a road. It was also used by McIntyre Mines to explore for the mine site during the late 1960s and by the nearby town until the new airport was constructed.
Off to the direction of town is the site of an old fur trade post established by Ewan Moberly after he was evicted from Jasper National Park in 1910. Ewan ran the store there until he died in the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic, which killed millions of people worldwide.
There was also once an old Roman Catholic log church that was built to serve the local First Nations community sometime before 1935; this too has long since disintegrated.
Stop #5: Grande Cache Lake
Head back to the highway and turn right. Drive for 3 km and turn right again at the Grande Cache Lake sign and pull into the picnic site. This is the site of an ancient First Nations camp. In the 1960s, extensive archaeological work was done on the site, which is thought to be some 10,000 years old.
Stop #6: Muskeg River Graveyard & Muskeg Store
Drive 11.4 km to this site, located on a hill at the right side of the road, just past the bridge that crosses the Muskeg River. There you'll find a spot to pull off the road. This was a popular stopping spot for the local Aboriginal people going between the communities of Susa Creek and Muskeg. From here, drive south for 9.7 km until you see the bridge crossing at Teepee Creek. Just before the bridge, pull into the pullout on the left, beside the Caribou information sign. This is the site of the old Muskeg trading post.
Stop #7: The Pierre Grey Post
Drive 2.7 km to Pierre Greys Lakes. Turn left at the first entrance and drive on the gravel road for 3 km until you reach the sign for the Joachim campsite. Return to the main gravel road, make a right and follow along for 0.7 km until you see a sign for the Moberly campsite. Continue driving until you see the lake. Pull up to the boat launch and look to your left (north) where you will see an unmarked walking trail that parallels the lake. Follow the trail for about 800 metres and you will come to an antler with a sign pointing to the right for the remnants of the post. After a very short walk (100 metres), you will arrive at the ruins. You will see the remains of three buildings and a couple of graves behind one of the buildings.