The Fraser River passes through town and the junction of three highways: Hwy #1 from the Fraser Canyon, Hwy #5 Coquihalla, and Hwy #3 Crowsnest. The Sylvester Stallone movie Rambo - First Blood was shot in Hope and there are still movie fans coming to Hope to see where some of the scenes were shot.

Arrive early and explore around town. Meet your Cavalcade leaders at the campground and gather together for our 1st meal together at 6:30.

This is the start of a 21-day exploration of the northern parts of the four western provinces. From this point on we will travel 200-250 km per day.

The first travel day will have us on Hwy #1 through the Fraser Canyon passing several smaller communities: Yale, Boston Bar, at Lytton the highway turns eastward away from the Fraser River then through Spences Bridge, Ashcroft and into Cache Creek. The route has lots of twists and sharp corner and travel will be slower but pictureque. We will be staying at the Hat Creek Historic Village 10 km north of Cache Creek. Supper will be served at the restaurant on site at 6:30. Take your time to explore.

Museums
Ashcroft Museum
Bonaparte Church
Hat Creek Ranch

Activity
Horsting Farm Market

The day's travel is through the historic Cariboo Gold Rush area. Travel through Clinton, past the Chasm Ecological Reserve, then 70, 100, 108, Mile Houses. The various communities with Mile in their name are based on the distance from Lillooet, Mile zero of the Cariboo Wagon Road. They were stops to change horses, rest, and grab some grub.  There is a great golf course at 108 ranch.

Golf
108 Golf Resort

Museum / History
Clinton Museum
108 Ranch Heritage Site

Camping
Stampede Grounds Campground
Junction Hwy 97 and 20

Supper
Stampede Grounds

Sani Dump
Stampede Grounds

Travelling south from Prince George we will pass through Hixon which has a short drive and hike to Hixon Falls just west of town. Then it is onto Quesnel. Approx 9 km west of Quesnel is the Pinnacles Provincial Park which has some unique geological formations. We will stay at Robert's Roost campground as a base for two days and our bus trip to Historic Barkerville the following day.

Camping: Roberts Roost Resort on Gook Road

Supper: Roberts Roost Resort

Sani Dump: Roberts Roost

Camping: Dawson Creek

Supper: TBA

Sani Dump: Mile Zero Campground

Dawson Creek is Mile Zero on the Alaska Highway which was hastily built during WW 2. Stop at the info centre on the east side of the city and learn some history of the Highway, possibly tour the Walter Wright Pioneer Village while in town.

Mile Zero Post - Dawson Creek

From the traffic circle on the east side of Dawson Creek, head east on Hwy 49, it is a short trip to the Alberta border and cheaper fuel. At Rycroft turn north 22 km to the historic Dunvegan Bridge, then onto Fairview, Berwyn, Grimshaw and into Peace River. The days travel is a loop that will cross the Peace River at Dunvegan and again at Peace River. The river flows north from here to the Northwest territories and eventually the Arctic Ocean. 

Extra hours of summer sunlight provide excellent agricultural growing condition in Alberta's Peace River region.

Easy access to the water in the Town of Peace River from the boat launch in Lower West Peace.

The days travel is predominantly through the northern boreal forest with some agricultural land still being carved out. Athabasca is a riverfront community in the valley. There is a farmers market at the riverfront park on summer weekends. The larger community golf courses are 18 hole challenges with lots of trees and water plus elevation chagnes.

The road east of Nipawin to The Pas is being upgraded. To bypass this rough section, head east on Hwy 55 to Hwy 23 South through Carrot River. Overnight at Pasquia Reg Park which has a nice 9-hole golf course with elevation changes and lots of water, then onto Arbourfield then south to the junction of Hwy 3 East to Hudson Bay, Sk. The road starts in an agricultural area and eventually travels through parkland and into the forest. Hudson Bay has a large Heritage site with a large collection of John Deere tractors. East of Hudson Bay the road is paved but has some rough patches. It connects to Hwy 10 then south to Swan River.

Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan

From Swan River, head east, at Cowan there are two options here:  1) join Hwy 20 will take you further east and through Camperville and past Winnipegosis coming into the  northeast side of Dauphin. 2) Hwy 10 will take you south parallel to Duck Mountain Provincial Park past Pine River and Ethelbert coming into Dauphin on the northwest side.

Camping: Swan Valley Museum
Supper: Swan Valley Museum
Sani Dump:

On the weekends during the summer, the Prairie Dog Express makes its way from Winnipeg to Grosse Isle which hosts with entertainment, small vendors and local museum. This is our final adventure for this tour. 

20 km travel

Camping
Grosse Isle Recreation Area

Supper
Grosse Isle Heritage Site

On the weekends during July and August, the Prairie Dog Express makes its way from Winnipeg to Grosse Isle, which hosts with entertainment, small vendors and local museum. When finished the train adventure we then travel north to Warren. There is a 9/18 hole (2 sets of tee boxes) golf course at Warren. We pass Woodlands which has a museum and a gas station that is large enough to handle the biggest RVs. The new Lake Manitoba Golf Resort is being developed south of St. Laurent with a beach to the west. St Laurent is the largest and oldest metis settlement in North America dating back to 1850. St. Laurent is one of the few remaining places in which the Michif French language is still spoken. We arrive at Lundar to overnight at the Lundar Agricultural campground. Lundar also has a 9 hole golf course.

Camping
Lundar Agricultural Campground

Supper
TBD

Sani Dump
Serviced campground

Travelling north from Lundar through Eriksdale the highway has a junction onto Hwy 68 West through the Narrows of Lake Manitoba. Stop by the Narrows Sunset Lodge and there is some parking down by the water if you would like to fish for a while off the weir.  There is another junction from Hwy 68 to Hwy 5 just east of St Rose du Lac. The Grotto in St Rose is a replica of the Lourdes Grotto.

Camping
Parc Molgat Park

Supper
TBD

Sani Dump
Parc Moglat Park

Westward from St Rose to the Junction of Hwy 20 north will take you past Dauphin Beach and the Dauphin Lake Golf Course. In Dauphin, you can restock and check out Historic Fort Dauphin and the Dauphin RR Museum before continuing north to Winnipegosis for the night.

From Winnipegosis, continue north on  Hwy 20. The highway travels through a less populated parkland with some agricultural areas, through reserve land at Camperville, then turns west through forest and some agricultural areas. There is a junction turning north on Hwy 10 again which will bring us into Swan River. Turn right on Hwy 10 junction shortly after you enter the town. On your right, you will see the Tourist Information area with their huge swan.  We will be staying at the Swan Valley Museum on the northern edge of town.

The road west of The Pas is being upgraded. To bypass this rough section, head west on on MB Hwy 77 just north of Mafeking. This section of Highway goes primarily through the boreal forest and pops out at Hudson Bay, SK. There are not many communities along this drive. Hudson Bay is a good mid-trip break. There is a great 9 hole golf course and the Al Mazur Heritage Park. Within the park, there is a collection of John Deere tractors. From Hudson Bay there is more travel along the edge of the forest and then some nice agricultural areas.

Camping: Pasquia Regional Park

Travel today is through mostly agricultural area. We will travel north through Carrot River, turning west at the junction of Hwy 55.  Between Carrot River and Nipawin you can find Rolling Pines Golf  & Country Resort Course. It is a little way off the highway but not far. A nice stop for a 9 hole break but be sure you use a cart!  Nipawin is the next community which is a base for lots of fishing in the two lakes, Cadotte Lake and Tobin Lake, formed by hydro electric dams. Some record size fish are caught here. A short distance from Nipawin you will come to the tiny community of Love, SK.  Love has some very unique signposts for their streets and a wedding chapel.  Mail such as wedding invitations are sometimes sent to the post office in Love just so that they can get mailed out with the unique Love postmark.   We will pass by several small commuities and then arrive in Prince Albert which is one of the larger communities along the route.

Camping
Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds Campground

From Prince Albert, we continue along Hwy 55 to Shellbrook where we head north approx 5 km before the highway turns north west to Canwood. The Canwood Regional Park has a great little 9 hole golf course, but watch out with bigger units as the parking lot is small. Just SW of Debden is a great beach on Morin Lake but the road is gravel.  North of Debden the highway goes through the forest. Big River is next on this NW trek. We will be camping at the Big River Regional Park. The next day starts out with a trail ride into the west side of Prince Albert National Park, the hope is to encounter a free roaming herd of wood buffalo.  After the ride we mount up the RVs for our drive to Northern Meadows Golf Resort west of Goodsoil for the evening and supper. From Goodsoil to Northern Meadows is a few kms on a gravel road.

Camping
Northern Meadows Golf - full service sites

Supper
Northern Meadows Golf

Sani Dump

75 km

It is just a short hop from Northern Meadows Golf Course across the border into Alberta and the City of Cold Lake. Cold Lake is home to CFB 4 Wing, one of Canada's fighter bases and pilot training facilities. The community is an amalgamation of 3 communities, Cold Lake, Grand Centre and Medley. Cold Lake North has camping, a beach and a marina. There is a museum at the top of the hill between the two residential areas that showcases the military history as well as First Nations and the Oil & Gas Industry. There should be lots of time for relaxing here today, or exploring around the town.

Camping
Municipal District Campground

Sani Dump
Cold Lake Energy Centre

148 km

Another day of travel through forest and agricultural land to reach Lac la Biche. You probably noticed a lot of oil and gas activity leaving Cold Lake and also here as well. The Lac la Biche Mission historic site is a very interesting place to visit. It is a little way out of town to the west so you could stop there tomorrow as well.  The town of Lac la Biche has a nice beach park area, a nice little museum/visitor centre and lots of fishing opportunities as well as one of the top golf courses on the highway. 

David Thompson Mounument

Camping: Bold Centre Campground

Sani Dump: Bold Centre

High Prairie is the east access to the rich agricultural region of NW Alberta and NE BC known as the Peace Country because of the Peace River that runs through the region before turning north into the Slave River then onto Great Slave Lake and the Arctic Ocean.  This region gets extended hours of sunlight during the summer but less in the winter due to its location. Primarily an agricultural region but in recent years the oil & gas and forestry industries have become more important economic drivers of the region. The travel day will skirt the southern shores of Lesser Slave Lake, the 2nd largest lake in Alberta. The lake is 82 kms long x 20 kms at its widest point. It is full of fish, has great beaches and a multiude of campgrounds along the southern shores. There is history of the fur trade starting from the northwest corner and the Peace River Trail. There are two native reserves west of Slave Lake that we will pass through today.

Camping
High Prairie Elks Campground

Supper
High Prairie Elks Campground

Sani Dump
Stampede Grounds

Proceeding west and then north from High Prairie, we pass through numerous small towns, McLennan was the birthplace of the Northern Woods and Water Highway as a gentleman from that community worked diligently to get the route recognized by the provinces of MB, SK, and AB. Donnelly and Falher are two strong French communities in the area. Falher is known for its honey. There are four golf courses, 3 - 9 holes (High Prairie, McLennan and Nampa) and an 18 hole one just west of the town of Peace River. Peace River town was established as a place to ferry across in the early days of the fur trade and well-known gold miner and businessman, Twelve Foot Davis, was instrumental in the town's growth. His gravesite is on the east hill outside of town.

Travelling south westward through the Peace Country the highway crosses the Peace River at several locations. Dunvegan Bridge is another historic site with a campground and museum worth stopping at. At Rycroft, the Highway makes an abrupt turn to the west into BC. Check your fuel at Baytree just before the border. Dawson Creek is Mile Zero on the Alaska Highway which was hastily built during World War 2. Stop at the info centre on the east side of the city and learn more history of the Highway, possibly tour the Walter Wright Pioneer Village while in town.

Camping: Northern Lights RV Park
Mile Zero Campground
Supper: TBD
Sani Dump: Rendez Vous RV Park

We start south on Highway #97, travel 21 km to the junction of Hwy #57 to Tumbler Ridge. This road is paved but has lots of elevation changes as we head into the Rocky Mountains. After finishing in Tumbler Ridge we will travel northwest on Hwy 29 past Gwillim Lake Provincial Park to Chetwynd . Tumbler Ridge has lots of hiking trails and waterfalls in the area as well as a great museum and golf course. The region has been recognized as a Global Geo Park. The town was originally developed as a planned community to support the coal mining industrywhich has several mines in the region.

Camping
Tumbler Ridge

Supper

Sani Dump
Tumbler Ridge

From Tumbler Ridge we head northwest on Hwy 29 past Gwillim Lake Prov Park and on to Chetwynd. Chetwynd holds an International Chainsaw Carving each year in June. There are close to 200 chainsaw carvings around the community. Most of them were competition winners in previous years.

Camping
Azouzetta Lake

Supper
Azouzetta Lake

From Azouzetta we continue through the Pine Pass, a scenic drive running alongside the Pine River.  There isn't a lot of people living along this picturesque drive. Prince George is located at the junction of Yellowhead and  NWW Highways with the Yellowhead being the connection to the West Coast at Prince Rupert. Prince George is the largest community along the Northern Woods & Water Highway. It has a forest based economy and is a logistics hub for the rail industry.  The Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum is located in the City near the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers. There is a winery in the city that you can go to enjoy a tasting. The Fraser River passes through the city as it turns southward to the coast. The NWW Highway will follow along the eastern banks of the Fraser, darting in and out until just north of Williams Lake.

199 km travel

Camping
Prince George

Supper
TBD

Sani Dump

From William’s Lake we will travel north to Quesnel which is still on the Gold Rush Trail. We will spend a couple of nights at Robert’s Roost resort on Dragon Lake on the southern part of Quesnel. This lake offers excellent trout fishing in the spring and fall.

121 km travel

Camping: Roberts Roost Resort on Gook Road
Supper: Roberts Roost Resort
Sani Dump: Roberts Roost

The day's travel is continuing through the historic Cariboo Gold Rush area. We will travel through forest areas with McLeese Lake about halfway through the drive. McLeese Lake is a very attractive lake with an outdoor Information Centre. There is not much public access to the lake, as most access to the lake is through the private campgrounds. There is a 1st Nations Heritage Site located 35 km north of Williams Lake.

We will be overnighting at the Williams Lake Stampede Grounds. Just kitty-corner across the intersection of the highway by the campground is Scout Island Nature Walk which is a nice place to go for a relaxing walk and see the birds and local wildlife.

The final day of travel is along some of the historic gold rush trail passing through communities named after miles from the Lillooet trail head, ie. 70 Mile House, 100 Mile House, 108 Ranch, etc. You will pass through Lac la Hache which claims to be the longest town in the Cariboo. The lake is 12 miles long with stores, resorts, and cabins along its length. 108 Ranch has a superb golf course and excellent dining. 100 Mile House has the Bridge Creek Falls, in town just a short walk from Hwy 97. Chasm is a unique geological formation.  In Clinton, there is history and antiques, bringing you to the last stop of the tour, at the Historic Hat Creek Ranch at the junction of Hwy 97 & 99 to Lillooet. Shortly before you reach our destination you can find great food and a farm market at the Horsting's Farm Market as well as the Desert Hills Ranch Taco Stand.

A short distance to the east of Cache Creek on Hwy 1  is the McAbee Fossil Beds and interpretive trail.