Experience Hudson’s Hope

This road trip travels through the untamed wilderness and unique geological features of BC’s magnificent north country. In addition to learning more about dinosaurs and fossil finds, you can enjoy bountiful fishing holes, jaw-dropping scenery and amazing wildlife viewing opportunities. Let’s get started…

From Tumbler Ridge, travel north on Hwy 29 about 75 min to Chetwynd. This municipality is strategically located at the intersection of Hwy 97, a major east-west corridor between Prince George and Dawson Creek. Because this road was northeastern BC’s first connection to the rest of the province, Chetwynd has been a significant hub for the development of the region since 1952.

Known as “Little Prairie” by the First Nations over 100 years ago, Chetwynd’s museum has retained that name. The Little Prairie Heritage Museum is located in one of the town’s oldest buildings and displays artifacts of the early times. A public art program, showcases over 50 chainsaw carvings spread throughout town with a downtown monument that declares Chetwynd the “Chainsaw Sculpture Capital of the World”.

About an hour north of Chetwynd, Hudson’s Hope was first settled in 1805. In 1942, construction of the Alaska Highway stimulated the local economy and major development came in the 1960s, when W.A.C. Bennett Dam was constructed to generate hydroelectric power. Shortly thereafter, the Peace Canyon Dam was built a few kilometers downstream. Until recent years, Hudson’s Hope has marketed its extensive outdoor recreational opportunities as reasons to visit the area. However, the dinosaur tracks found in the area, should provide the town with a significant new tourism attraction.

In the summer of 2016, field work began on Hudson’s Hope’s newest attraction the Six Peaks Dinosaur Track Site. The site is located just west of Hudson’s Hope and consists of nearly 1,200 tracks from at least 12 different types of dinosaurs.

The area around Hudson’s Hope is one of the richest sites of fossils and dinosaur footprints in the world. You can get a unique prehistoric experience to view actual dinosaur footprints at Gething Creek. However, this is a remote area near the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, so we would recommend you stop at the Hudson’s Hope Museum. Their fossil display is one of the finest in the Peace River area.

Established in 1794, Fort St John is BC’s oldest settlement and with a population of more than 18,000, it is the largest city on the Alaska Highway, at Mile 47. The drive east to Fort St John takes about 70 minutes.

One hour south, with a population of a bout 12,000, Dawson Creek is known as the “Mile 0 City”, referring to its location at the southern end of the Alaska Highway. The city has been called the “Capital of the Peace”. It has an art gallery, museum and a heritage interpretation village.