1 of 9
James.Stoness
2 of 9
James.Stoness
3 of 9
James.Stoness
4 of 9
James.Stoness
5 of 9
James.Stoness
6 of 9
James.Stoness
7 of 9
JStones
8 of 9
James.Stoness
9 of 9
JStones
Words by William Ennis
Have you watched a grizzly bear eating, lately? Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in British Columbia is one of the top places to do just that. If you want to make it really easy, stop in at the Tweedsmuir Park Lodge at the base of the Big Hill, on the way to Bella Coola.
I would rate the drive in from Williams Lake to Bella Coola as a paved adventure tour. Well, almost all paved. Of course, we must include the gravel section down the Big Hill — that's an adventure by itself!
But aside from that, the 453 km drive is a magnificent mixture of cowboy range and mountains interspersed with lakes and streams.
It's wise to explain about the Big Hill. The British Columbia government constructed Hwy 20 starting at Williams Lake and stopping at Anahim Lake just before you enter the steep Coastal Mountains. Here they threw up their hands and said it was impossible, too expensive, couldn't be done, and so on. Fortunately for everyone, the people that lived in the area of Bella Coola and the valley were strong at heart Canadians and they refused to accept the word ‘can't'.
With local help and volunteers, the use of a TD-18 bulldozer and a generous use of dynamite, they grubbed out a trail up that ‘impossible' mountain in about a year. It became the Freedom Road because finally, the residents could drive out of the valley to visit the rest of Canada.
That first roughed out trail must have been "something." The route consisted of several switchbacks and up to 18% grades. Today, the trails is still a marvelous work of construction. It's been widened a bit, but it still has scenic switchbacks. I've been on the road four times and have enjoyed it thoroughly every time. I grew up driving gravel roads so the only difference was in the steepness of the road. Edges are close to you, and railings are few, but when you drive along any road you don't worry about driving into the ditch, and you shouldn't here either. Just go slowly and drive carefully. Some places slim into a single lane for short distances.
Once you reach the bottom of the Hill plan a stop at the Tweedsmuir Park Lodge. On two of my visits to the area I've mounted up an impressive tally for grizzly bears sightings.
The Lodge started life as a hunting and fishing lodge. Backdropped by a moderately tree clad mountain, this wooden building has an outstanding red roof and is graced by a wide green lawn in front. It looks comfortable before you ever step inside. Once inside, the huge stone fireplace sends out its welcoming comfort, suggesting you settle into one of the soft leather couch seats, just relax, and forget about driving for a while. If you are looking for a terrific West Coast meal, now is the time to try one, and enjoy. Reservations are needed unless you are not a guest of the lodge. Treat yourself to a night in the lodge or one of the timber-framed chalets outside.
If you are staying at the lodge all your meals are included, you have the use of the outdoor hot tub, and you can build your muscles on their cork-floored gym. Outside you can use the large lawn for croquet, use their frisbee golf course, and check out the archery range.
But the most exciting activity at Tweedsmuir is definitely found at the bear viewing facilities. Grizzly bears are not going to always be in this area. They spend a lot of summertime in the backcountry, but when the salmon start to head upstream the bald eagles and the bears head down to the river. They have grizzly bear tours running from August 23 to October 15th and reserve spots for guests, with possible openings for drop-ins.
I did a float trip on the Atnarko River which flows in front of the lodge. It's a very relaxing way to pass through this wilderness area. I was amazed at how many creatures ignore us and went about their regular routines. A few bald eagles were sitting in the trees watching the river. It was our bad luck that the salmon run was just beginning. We saw one small bunch of salmon, a few bald eagles, but no bears.
A few years ago I went out with ‘Doug on the Trail'. Doug knows where bears are likely to be found so not only did we walk through the pristine forest, but we also watched several grizzly bears splashing through the water chasing fish, and frequently catching one.
One outstanding bear contact stays in my mind. We were returning to Bella Coola with Doug driving and saw a large black coloured bear cross the roadway ahead of us. We slowed as we got to the area and saw a huge grizzly feeding on vegetation that grew around a big rock. We stopped on the road beside him but the grizzly was so engrossed in his feeding as he moved around the rock that, for him, we did not exist. We sat and watched, even backed up a bit as he became hidden by the rock. Suddenly, he raised his head and looked, and you could almost read the expression on his face, "where did you guys come from?" Then he turned and walked past our front fender, across the road, and down to the river. A great experience!
The Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail, 420 km long, passes through Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. MacKenzie was the first white man to cross North America by land and water, beating the Lewis and Clark expedition by several years. It's a very tough trail lasting several days.
The Chilcotin Plateau is one of British Columbia's friendliest places to visit. Couple that with great scenery, and a quiet wilderness place to visit, what more would you need?
There are several places to camp on your drive along Highway 20: See these few examples.
- Escott Bay Resort - a good place and handy to take a campsite, leave the rig and drive only the vehicle to Bella Coola
- Woodland Fishin' Resort on Puntzi Lake
- Barney's Lakeside Resort on Puntzi Lake - has full hookups and room for large RVs
- Atnarko Campground near Stuie for camping on the Atnarko River - no hookups -close to the Lodge