The Beautiful Bulkley Valley
View from the Telkwa High Road at Narnia Farms
Driving Tour
This circle tour is one of the many enjoyable trips in this area that anyone can enjoy. Great for older people and young children. Starting at the Stork Nest Inn guests can spend 4 to 6 hours visiting interesting sites that are off the beaten track. Highlights of this tour include:
Twin Falls - A 15 minute drive and a 5 minute walk brings you to the end of this beautiful valley where you see the meltwater from Kathlyn Glacier plunge off a massive rock headwall. The more adventuresome travellers can scramble up a steep trail (glacier gulch trail) that leads to the toe of this hanging glacier. Great ice climbing in winter.
Two Creeks and a River - Continuing Northwest on Highway 16 for 15 minutes brings you to a beautiful picnic area on the edge of the Bulkley River. Fishermen from around the world come to this area July through November to fish for salmon and steelhead in this world famous free running river.
Elaine's Gifts and Antiques - Next stop is a small farm with a wonderful gift shop.
Moricetown Canyon - Approximately 30 minutes from Smithers, continuing Northwest on Highway 16, you can cross the Bulkley River at Moricetown. This is the site of a narrow canyon where the first nations people stand on the canyon walls with long poles and nets and flip huge salmon out of the raging current. Quite impressive to see.
Fishing at Moricetown Canyon
Narnia Farms - After crossing the bridge at Moricetown you will find yourself heading back to Smithers on the Telkwa High Road. The Telkwa High Road winds through forests and ranchlands with impressive views of the large mountains to the west. Travellers on this road will want to stop at Narnia Farms for tea and a tour of these wonderful herbal and medicinal gardens.
Driftwood Canyon and the Fossil Beds - A short journey down a side road brings you to another lovely picnic area beside the Driftwood Creek. A short trail leads to the fossil beds where visitors are encouraged to use pencil and paper to take etchings (rubs) of the fossils (it is illegal to remove fossils from this area) From the fossil beds it is a 25 minute drive through beautiful rolling ranchland, back to Smithers and the Stork Nest Inn.
Backcountry Tours
For more adventuresome folks we are surrounded by hiking and biking trails, mountains, rivers and lakes. Over the years we have paddled, hiked and climbed through most of this area. We sell the "Northern BC Backroad Mapbook" an outdoor recreation guide at our front desk. www.backroadmapbooks.com
Hiking to Crater Lake
Culture, Shopping and In Town Recreation
Smithers offers lots of in-town entertainment for travelers wanting a break from other adventures. Art exhibits, museum, farmer's market, great restaurants, movie theatres, swimming pool, raquet courts (indoor and out), climbing wall, bowling alley, and gyms will keep you busy for days or weeks. The shopping is superb in Smithers, especially if you are looking for boutique type shops where the service is excellent and the pace relaxed. For a the latest listing of what's happening in town go to www.tourismsmithers
Winter in Smithers
The biggest secret is our snow. Smithers has the best downhill and cross-country skiing we have seen in Canada. Our snow is unmatched and with so few people it is like heli skiing from the ski lift. (inexpensive and lots of powder). For skating enthusiasts the Stork Nest Inn is situated right beside a free outdoor ice rink.
Skating on Seymour Lake in Smithers