If you’re in search of a new outdoor hike that takes you along a route with historic significance, consider adding the famed Alexander Mackenzie Trail (also known as the Nuxalk Carrier Grease Trail) to your summer bucket list.
During the late 18th century, local First Nations led Scottish explorer and fur trader Alexander Mackenzie to the Pacific, using a route they had used for generations to transport Eulachon (a type of small fish) grease from the coast to First Nation communities inland.
As a result of their journey, Mackenzie reached a small area near Elcho Harbour on the Dean Channel, his westernmost destination. On a rock, he inscribed “Alex Mackenzie from Canada by land 22nd July 1793,” in vermillion and bear grease upon his arrival, according to BC Parks.
The area is now protected as a provincial park, named after Mackenzie. It marks the westernmost terminus of the first European trek across North America.
Note that recreational use of the park is limited to one-day trips by air or boat. Or, if you decide to make the trek along the Alexander Mackenzie Trail, the park may mark the end of your extensive backcountry hiking journey.
According to Parks Canada, Mackenzie first set out from Montreal in the spring of 1792, eventually becoming the first person to cross the continent north of Mexico. While the route he travelled was not the “practical trade route” he sought, his voyage marked the completion of the journey Cabot and Cartier attempted nearly 300 years prior.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the guidance and knowledge of the local First Nations, including the Dakelh and Tsilhqot’in Peoples in the interior and the Nuxalk Nation near Bella Coola.
While much of the historic trail has been converted to wagon roads to access reserves, portions of the original foot path are still part of the trail today!
The 450 km long heritage trail takes approximately three weeks to complete, but there are a handful of smaller hikes that comprise the larger trail that hikers can access.
These smaller hikes cross through alpine trails, a river, a fjord, and a paved highway, according to Tourism Quesnel.
The trail also traverses through two provincial parks: Kluskoil Lake and Tweedsmuir (South) Parks.
If you prefer to start at the trail’s official starting point, head to the intersection of the Blackwater and Fraser Rivers just outside of Quesnel.
How to get to the trail
From Quesnel, hiking hopefuls should head west on Nazko Road, turning right onto Blackwater Road at Bouchie Lake. They’ll then stay north on the Blackwater towards Prince George until the Tako, and follow this road to the new trailhead location (27 km)
From the trailhead, you can hike down to the Fraser River or continue west all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
How to get there: Drive 11 and a half hours from Vancouver to Bella Coola, or seven hours and 20 minutes to Quesnel. From Quesnel, head west on Nazko Road and turn right onto Blackwater Road at Bouchie Lake. Stay north on the Blackwater towards Prince George until the Tako, and follow this to the new trailhead location.
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