Day 25: Yellowhead Hwy (Prince George to Kitwanga)

Wildlife Bingo

• Deer

• 2 coyotes

• Mama Black Bear & 3 cubs

Highlights

• seeing our first bear!

• great & free municipal campground

Hiccups

• a string on my guitar started buzzing

After a great night's sleep at Edgar's House (Harvest Host), we headed to town in search of a guitar shop. One of my guitar strings started buzzing yesterday, so we decided to try our luck at getting it fixed. The guys at Sound Factory were happy to take care of it -- adjusting the tension rod -- and within half an hour, we were on the road again, with a fixed guitar!

Fixing my Alvarez. I forgot to get the guy's name. Darn it! He was very accommodating and skilled.

Prince George is where we jumped on the Yellowhead Highway. Canada uses the highway names more than the numbers, evidently. According to Wikipedia, the highway was "named after a fur trader and explorer named Pierre Bostonais. He had yellow streaks in his hair, and was nicknamed "Tête Jaune" (Yellowhead)."

For most of the day, we drove through aspen- and fir-covered hills. Then, at Smithers, we were right next to snow-capped peaks -- even a ski area. From that point on, we were admiring snow-covered mountains in the distance in several directions.

We saw little wildlife, but did spy two coyotes -- one crossing the road and another in a field. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a black bear with three cubs -- but she was gone in a flash, with no time for a photo!

Yellowhead Highway. This must be gorgeous in the fall when the aspen are turning.

Yellowhead Highway

Yellowhead Highway

We read in one of our guidebooks about a small and free municipal park with campsites in Kitwanga, a tiny town where the Yellowhead intersects with the start of the Cassiar Highway -- so that is where we planned to camp. Luckily, it was there and just as described! We drove in to the empty campground and had our pick of the sites. We found a perfectly level one, got set up, and then walked over to the firewood storage (also free). The campground is maintained by volunteers and asks campers for a donation. I added our name to the visitor book and noted that we were the third campers in 2025. This is the very beginning of the season.

Old sawmill machinery from this logging area.

Kitwanga Municipal Campground (donation based) -- maintained by volunteers.

A telephoto shot of the mountains visible in the distance from our campsite.

The start of the Cassiar Highway -- our next highway and a less-traveled route than others.

The head volunteer stopped by to see us off in the morning. We chatted awhile. We started talking politics -- since I have some shoe polished signs on our windows expressing our unhappiness with Trump and the direction of our country. He said his daughter usually spends time in Arizona, but won't be going to the US, this year -- because of the political situation. He also noted that the owner of the only private campground in Kitwanga had mentioned that many folks from the US calling for reservations at the campground expressly said, "We didn't vote for Trump!" We are not shying away from politics on this trip. It is not a time to stay silent -- for us, and evidently for others, as well.