We are now traveling the Cassier Highway and it's one of the prettiest roads we have traveled on this summer. You pass many pristine lakes and small towns. It's quiet, isolated and so lovely. We stayed a couple of nights at Mountain Shadow RV Park and just relaxed. The name of the campground aptly describes it's location and beauty. The numerous lakes in the area look so inviting. and we wished we had our kayaks to paddles in this stunning area.
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| Mountain Shadow RV Park, Iskut BC |
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| Stewart BC Visitor Center |
From here we traveled to Stewart BC. It a small town which straddles the border of British Columbia and the even smaller town of Hyder Alaska. To see this area it's best to camp in Stewart but plan on spending most of your time in Hyder. We came here in hope of seeing grizzly bears feasting on the salmon which come here to spawn. Alas, we saw lots of salmon but no bears.
TIP: You do need to cross the border with your passport in hand, but it's an easy crossing.
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| Salmon Glacier |
The highlight for this area is the spectacular Salmon Glacier. We have seen lots of glaciers this summer and we were not too convinced this would be worth the effort. Our friend Barry, however, had arrived earlier and said on a scale of one to ten...it's an eleven! Really....really! It's that awesome. It takes some time to reach the glacier and travel on rough roads but our Jeep handled it easily.What really makes it so spectacular is how close you can get to it.
TIP: Traveling to Stewart is out of the way but in our opinion well worth the extra miles and effort.
We bid farewell to the friends we have traveled with on this adventure (We met up in April with Barry and Jann and May with Bob and Becky). We have shared lots of laughs, hikes, meals, boat trips, glaciers, brews and so much more. Our plan is to visit the Canadian Rockies and exit Canada from there into Montana. Our friends have visited this area before and need to leave sooner. We wish them safe travels and look forward to meeting up again soon.
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| L to R (me, John, Jimmy, Barry, Jann, Bob, and Becky) |
Our next stop is Hazelton, BC to visit the beautiful First Nations K'San Historical Village and Museum. It's a reconstructed village of People of the Gitsan. We arrived at the museum and signed up for a guided tour of First Nation Houses. 
Our guide was awesome and she told us many stories of their culture and how she is now trying to connect more to her heritage. You cannot take photos of the inside of the houses. There are beautiful displays of ceremonial robes and everyday items. It was a fascinating tour and one we would highly recommend. The campground where we stayed was within walking distance of the Village. 
After a quick stop in Prince George for some restocking it on to a highly anticipated visit to Jasper National Park in Alberta Canada. There has been a lot of smoke reported in the area Jasper/Banff area due to some nearby forest fires, however, a recent snow fall and lots of rain caused most of the smoke to dissipate. Our timing was excellent. The drive was so pretty and we stopped at two waterfalls along the way. What a great way to stretch our legs. Both waterfalls only required short hikes to enjoy them. The Milepost guide has been invaluable to pointing out these places. Without the guide we probably would have driven right past them.
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| Mount Robson |
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| Rearguard Falls |
Whistler, our Park Canada campground is a gem. After checking in we quickly drove out to the Athabasca Falls while the weather is cooperating. It's a very busy place to visit but worth the hassle. It's been a bit of a shock getting used to large crowds after being in such remote areas for several months. The falls were roaring and plunged into deep canyons. There are sidewalks wandering all over the area to see the falls from many angles. It's a really beautiful area.
TIP: Campgrounds in the Jasper/Banff area need to be reserved well in advance. I made these reservations the first day they became available. I tried to change on of them two month prior to our anticipated arrival and it was very difficult. When we checked in they told us the campground had been sold out for months
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| Athabasca Falls |
Campground Reviews:
Moutain Shadow RV Park Iskut, BC, 5 stars, flat sites on gravel and grass, well maintained, quiet RV park with full hookups, walking distance to a beautiful sake on property, nice trail, very limited WiFi, no Verizon signal, owners are very nice and show great pride in their campground.
Big Bear RV Park, Stewart, BC, 3 stars, full hookups on gravel and grass, worn out, muddy with lots of pot holes, very limited WiFi, no Verizon signal, great location to see area, busy campground with lots of caravan tours coming in and out.
K'San Campground, Hazelton, BC, 4 stars, across street from Village, full hookups, large open gravel sites, excellent WiFi, good Verizon signal, very friendly, quiet and peaceful, river nearby and nice trail.
Whistler Campground, Jasper National Park, Alberta, 5 stars, 50 amp full hookup sites on asphalt, well spaced, great location, make reservations way in advance, no WiFi, good Verizon signal, will be closed 2019 season for renovation
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