Kitwanga to Meziadin Junction, British Columbia – 22 June 2024

Mezadian Lake Provincial Park had some really nice campsites and we were fortunate to get one right on the lake. As we drove into the Park we saw lots of Bear skat alongside the road – a reminder of the number of Bears in this area. We were careful after that to make sure we had all our Bear Repellant equipment with us every time we walked around the park but luckily we did not have any encounters. However, that first evening – at the end of a hot day, I happened to be out of the living room window across the lake and saw a large Black bear soaking in the water. He just sat there shaking his head and then got up and walked back into the forest. So lovely to see but I was glad it was from afar.

It was lovely in this park but we got absolutely chowed by mosquitos. I must have close to 50+ bites over my arms, shoulders, neck, head, face, feet. At night we had problems with the mosquitos dive bombing us. We would kill one and in an instant there was another to take its place.

The following day we decided to drive to the Bear Glacier which was along Highway 37 which is known as the Glacier Highway. The Glacier was a truly awesome sight. It is situated about halfway between Meziadin provincial park and Stewart, BC. The toe of the glacier was visible from Highway 37A and descends towards Strohn Lake, down Bear River Pass. Its blue colour is because the glacial ice is so dense and compact. Glaciers form over hundreds of years when compressed snow turns to ice. They actually store 75% of the world’s fresh water and cover about 10% of the surface of the earth.

After that we continued along the “Glacier Highway” to visit the small town of Stewart. The scenery along the way was spectacular with dense green forests, about 20 glaciers, towering peaks with hundreds of waterfalls cascading down their sides, and grey blue rivers. Beautiful British Columbia at its best!

Stewart was previously named Portland, but its name was changed to Stewart in 1905, by Robert M. Stewart, the first postmaster, to eliminate confusion with Portland in Oregon. It is one of the snowiest towns in Canada having an average snowfall of about 18.75 feet, and yet they have the most northerly ice-free, deep-sea port.

Stewart is located on the Alaska–British Columbia border with Hyder, Alaska, only 3 kilometres from the town. It used to be a mining town but over time it has been transformed into a charming, quaint tourist destination. Apparently, it offers a very good chance of seeing grizzly bears in their natural habitat – ummm no thanks!

Stewart lies in the shadow of Mount Rainey and is very picturesque. We stopped at a coffee shop for refreshments and then walked through a park they have on the edge of town along a walkway which extends to where their port is. There is only about 500 people living in this town so the major attraction was the main street with its gift shops, grocery stores and hotels.