Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail facts for kids
The Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail is a very old and important path in British Columbia, Canada. It's about 420 kilometers (260 miles) long! This trail connects the town of Quesnel in the middle of B.C. to Bella Coola on the Pacific Coast. People sometimes call it the Grease Trail because it was used to trade a special kind of oil.
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A Path Through History
This trail was first used by the Nuxalk and Carrier First Nations people. They used it for talking to each other, traveling, and trading goods. A very important trade item was Eulachon grease. This special oil came from fish found on the Pacific Coast.
Alexander MacKenzie's Big Journey
In the late 1700s, a famous explorer named Alexander MacKenzie traveled from Montreal all the way to the Pacific Ocean. He was trying to be the first European to cross North America. When he reached the Fraser River, some natural obstacles stopped his boat trip.
So, Alexander MacKenzie and his group got help from Nuxalk-Carrier guides. These guides showed them the overland route. This part of their journey started near the Blackwater River, west of Quesnel. They traveled through areas like the Upper Blackwater, along Eliguk Lake and Gatcho Lake. They also went through parts of what is now Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.
They crossed the beautiful Rainbow Mountains and finally reached the Bella Coola Valley. Local people then helped them travel down the Bella Coola River to the ocean. Alexander MacKenzie reached the Pacific Ocean on July 20, 1793. This made him the first person to cross North America north of Mexico! Because of its history, the route was made an official heritage trail in 1987.
Hiking the Trail Today
The modern trail starts in the east at the West Road River. This is between Quesnel and Prince George. It then goes past Kluskus Lake and Eliguk Lake. After that, it crosses through Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. Finally, it follows the Bella Coola River to the North Bentinck Arm inlet on the coast.
This trail is very long and can be tough. Experienced hikers might take about 18 days to complete it. If you're an intermediate hiker, it could take at least 24 days. Many people choose to hike only parts of the trail. For example, the section through Tweedsmuir Provincial Park is popular. It passes by the Rainbow Range, which is an extinct shield volcano. Only a few groups of hikers or horse riders use the whole trail each year.
Pan Phillips' Home Ranch
The middle part of the trail passes close to Pan Phillips' Home Ranch. This ranch became famous because of books written by Rich Hobson. These books include Grass Beyond the Mountains and Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy. There was even a TV show based on the books! The Home Ranch stopped operating in the early 1970s. But you can still see parts of the ranch today.
