nature, Photography

Hiking in the Hazeltons

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We recently left Penticton, British Columbia en route to Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off the northern Pacific coast and the home and ancestral territory of the Haida First Nation. Getting there would take three driving days and one ferry.

Haida Gwaii

After stopping for the first night in Prince George, we continued on to Smithers.

Smithers

Smithers is near the Hazelton Mountains which are a sub-range of the larger Coast Mountains. In winter there’s a lot of good downhill and cross-country skiing and in summer the hiking is fabulous.

Hazelton Mountains

After a decent night’s sleep we drove to one of the peaks and found a good hiking trail.

As we neared the trail head the temperature went down to 24 C (75 F) from 33 C (91 F) in the town of Smithers below. It was a much appreciated break from the heat wave we’ve been experiencing all over British Columbia.

M scoping out the trail.

Being able to enjoy the trail in much cooler temperatures was a real plus.

From Smithers all the way to the coast, the forest is lush, dense and beautiful. This is because even though Smithers is fairly far north, its climate is mitigated by the temperate rainfall from the Pacific Ocean which leads to these lovely, almost-rainforests.

There were a number of powerful glacier-fed waterfalls on our route that we stopped to admire.

All too soon we needed to return to our vehicle to continue our drive to Prince Rupert and the coast. Our ferry booking for the sailing to Haida Gwaii was coming up next.

Happy Thursday.

36 thoughts on “Hiking in the Hazeltons”

    1. Haida Gwaii is a five-hour ferry off the coast of British Columbia, so it’s rather remote, even for Canadians. It’s a bit like the Galapagos in the sense that it has species found nowhere else.
      Yes, we had a great hike on the beautiful trail. Cheers.

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  6. I had heard that Smithers was a pretty place. Your photos prove that Lynette. So nice to have cooler temps and shade for hiking. I hate hiking in the heat. Thanks for sharing and safe travels. Allan

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    1. Thank you very much. Yes, it sure was lovely, Lori. We are returning via Vancouver Island but are expecting visitors arriving at our home in Penticton and won’t be able to stop, unfortunately. We are going to have to do some better planning!

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  12. Good you found a cooler spot to hike as 33 is a bit hot for that! Love the waterfall but mostly your end destination! Wow!! Not a spot the average Canadian gets to

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    1. Yes, 33 is definitely much too hot. The waterfall was beautiful, as is that entire drive from Smithers to Prince Rupert. Easily as beautiful as the drive through the Rockies at Banff and Lake Louise. We have been planning to go to Haida Gwaii for a while now and it is definitely worth the wait. So incredibly gorgeous!

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  16. What a beautiful area. Love the photo with the red roofed building, the colours are so sharp. I never got further north than Vancouver Island, but loved exploring there.

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    1. You’re welcome. It’s not surprising that you haven’t heard of them as they are a sub-range of the Coastal Mountains and are also overshadowed by the more famous Rocky Mountains. The area is just as beautiful but much less on the tourist track.

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