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Vanderhoof
Vanderhoof is located 100 km (60 miles) west of Prince
George and 35 km (22 miles) east of Fort
Fraser on the Yellowhead Hwy 16.
The
Geographical Centre of BC
If you look at a map of British Columbia you will notice that Vanderhoof
is at the geographical centre of BC. Traditional lands of the Carrier
Nation the region is situated along the relatively flat Nechako
Plateau.
Early
Years
During the early years, Vanderhoof (Dutch for "of the farm")
began as a small community with the surrounding area made up of
large cattle ranches and logging operations.
Backcountry
Adventures
Today because of the settlement of the large amount of ranches and
forestry operations, the area has opened up for exploring.
Outdoor
Activities
You can have access to many outdoor activities that include angling,
wildlife viewing and photography, cross-country skiing and backcountry
adventures. The roads are full of many lakes and rivers that are
all within an hour's drive of Vanderhoof.
The
Vanderhoof Heritage Museum
Located on the west side of Vanderhoof on Hwy 16 at 1st Street is
the Vanderhoof Heritage Museum. The museum is made up of ten small
buildings representing the early 1900's in Vanderhoof history. If
you happen to have a motorhome or trailer, there is lots of available
RV parking at the museum. The museum is open annually midway through
May through until October 1.
Local
Trails
If you happen to be in Vanderhoof, make sure you pick up the Hiking
Guide available through the Chamber of Commerce. A couple of easy
trails available near Vanderhoof include Riverside Park Trail featuring
a nature walk, Evelyn Dickson Trail (great for biking) and the Hospital
Trail.
Omineca
Trail
For a longer trail, the historic Omineca Trail will take you along
the ancient Carrier First Nation trail route to Stuart River and
beyond.
Winterfest
The Nechako Valley Winterfest is an annual festival celebrating
the spirit of being a member of the Vanderhoof community and living
with one another. Every year Winterfest gives the opportunity for
young and old to participate in a number of different winter sports,
cultural events and art presentations. From the children's carnival,
curling bonspiels to the Vanderhoof Women's Hockey Tournament, Winterfest
will surely entertain you with its spirit of celebration of being
alive and living in Vanderhoof and the beautiful Nechako Valley
Wilderness
Ranches
If you enjoy horseback riding, snowmobiling, hiking and fishing,
you'll be sure to enjoy the numerous wilderness guest ranches located
throughout the Vanderhoof area. Most offer you cabin rentals, guiding
and hunting services along with ATV rentals or some other means
of getting through the bush trails. Generally most are situated
next to a wilderness lake offering you excellent boating and fishing
opportunities.
National
Historic Site
Just west of Vanderhoof by 7 km (4.4 miles) is the turnoff for Hwy
27 to Fort St. James. Founded by
the explorer, Simon Fraser, in 1806, Fort St. James was the capital
of New Caledonia, now present-day British Columbia. At Fort St.
James you can visit the National Historic site of the original Hudson's
Bay Company trading post. The Fort, now restored, offers you the
'real life' feeling of what life was like in frontier times of the
early 1800's.
Backcountry
Adventure
If you have a reliable vehicle, one backcountry adventure you might
want to try is the historical Blackwater Rd. Located just east of
Vanderhoof, the Blackwater takes a southerly direction past Sinkut
Lake to some beautiful lake country full of great fishing holes,
notably Eulatazella and Naltesby Lakes. The road eventually goes
past Punchaw Lake to the Blackwater River.
Travel
to Quesnel
If you want to travel via the backroad, continue south-east to Bouchie
Lake following the Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail to Nazko,
Quesnel and Hwy 97.
Just remember to watch for wild animals and have a good backcountry
road map of the area.
Information
on Vanderhoof
Accommodation
RV
Park
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