May 23rd, 2024 - A Rainy Day on the Cassier Highway

(Note: the next few blogs will be picture intensive!) 

We woke to blue skies and off we went:

As we started on the Cassier Highway, it became cloudy and rainy and stayed that way.  I know it is what it is but I was a little sad because the scenery is beautiful.  

So here are some pictures along the way:

Snow covered mountains and rushing rivers:

Many logging trucks:

Yes, they do have electric - LOL!:

So many lakes and ponds:

This is the southern end of the Cassier. To get to Alaska by car, there are only two routes - the Cassier Highway and the Alaskan Highway.  The Alaskan Highway is the main route with services not too far apart.  The Cassier is remote with only a few services in 450 miles.  Since the Alaskan Highway is closed due to the wildfires, this is the only way north.

I have to say that there was very little traffic.  We were told that all the trucks were being diverted to this road.  We did see some but not what we expected.

We took this road in 2009 and there were some areas that were little more than a trail.  There were areas (like 150 miles) of dirt or gravel and very narrow.  So we are interested in seeing this journey.

Here is the road today:

Sometimes there are lines, sometimes not.  Our opinion for today...the roads are no different than many of the Pennsylvania back roads.  However, the scenery is more spectacular - LOL!

Large river beds:

Mostly wooden bridges:

Talking about the services - this was a great map for us because there was no cell or internet on the Cassier.

We fueled in Kitwanga and tomorrow we will fuel in Iskut.  Then we should be good until we are on the Alaskan Highway.

We passed the turnoff for Stewart and Hyder and kept going.  We were there in 2009 and it is quite an interesting area.  However, the big draw is the glacier and the bears when the salmon are running.  The salmon will not be running for a few months.  Last time we went to see the glacier, it was raining and the road was very slippery.  So we decided to bypass it this time.

Our first stop was Meziadin Provincial Park.  We went thru the campground and it is BEAUTIFUL!  But it was raining and cold and would be that way for the next two days.  So we decided to continue north.

We did end our day at Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park.  I just LOVE the British Columbia Provincial Parks.  Our site:

Looking our my notes - we were here in 2009! 

Our views:

Information on the Cassier:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/traveller-information/routes-and-driving-conditions/highway-37-stewart-cassiar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart%E2%80%93Cassiar_Highway 

Today we saw bear, moose, fox and a rabbit.  Sadly I did not get pictures!

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 258 Miles - Mostly in the Rain

Routes Traveled:

British Columbia:  BC-62; CA-16; BC-37 (Cassier Highway)