How do I get there? Away?
Travel to Smithers is made fairly easy with two daily Air Canada flights from Vancouver which are only 1 hour 30 minute flights. If you are arriving the night before and staying at a hotel we do not have a shuttle service but can help organize a ride. If you are arriving on the same day as your reservation at the lodge we will pick you up. The lodge is conveniently 15 minutes drive from the Airport. If you need any help making reservations be it airline, hotel or shuttles please let us know and we will be happy to help.
Air Canada offers departures from Vancouver (YVR) 2 times a day
In the summer flights are quite easy to get and there is often availability.
Upon arrival (if it is the same day as your reservation) our staff will be at the airport to pick you up and quickly get you back to the lodge only 10 minutes away. After a brief tour of the lodge, you will be shown your private cabin. Guests constantly find themselves in culture shock after leaving a large city in the morning and enjoying the serenity of our riverfront property in the afternoon.
Driving
Driving from Vancouver takes about 13 hours and is a very straightforward trip.
From Vancouver BC – Follow Route 1 East to Cache Creek; follow Route 97 North to Prince George; follow Route 16 West
Smithers is located halfway between the interior town of Prince George and the coastal town of Prince Rupert.
The Area
The very birth of Smithers happened in 1913 when the Railway Commissioner approved of the station site at ‘Smithers, BC. It was to be the second stop East of Prince Rupert. Sir Alfred Waldron Smithers who was just a board member had the honor of having the flat, swampy land at the base of Hudson Bay Mountain named after him.
In 1913 there were Wet’sewet’en first nations living throughout the area. Farmers were homesteading in the valley, and miners had established claims nearby. Telkwa was already an existing settlement, and Prince Rupert was a major coastal city. But Smithers in 1913 was just a swamp. When the Railway decided upon Smithers as the transfer point for freight and passengers, they knew it meant it would end up being an important town. Settlers, entrepreneurs and prospective land-owners had been awaiting the announcement, knowing that where freight was exchanged and passengers had to spend a night there would be stores, hotels, homes, and ultimately a guaranteed investment. From this, the town of Smithers was born.
What to bring
- Four pairs of wool or synthetic socks to wear under your waders. Two pairs of camp socks.
- Two pairs of synthetic or merino wool long underwear (tops and bottoms) to wear beneath your waders. One mid-weight and one heavyweight. These can be worn alone or together depending on the conditions
- Two or three long-sleeved fishing shirts. One or two camp shirts.
- Two warm insulating layers. Down, nano puff, and fleece are good. Avoid cotton.
- One high-quality rain jacket.
- Two fishing/baseball hats. One warm cap.
- One pair of shoes for around camp.
- One pair of warm gloves and hand warmers.
- One bandana.
- One “Buff” facial sun protector
- One pair of polarized sunglasses. It is great to have a lens cleaner and a soft cleaning cloth as well.
- One bottle 30+ SPF.
- One tube of 30+ SPF lip balm.
- Insect repellent and a lightweight head net (for June-August only for some of the hike-in areas).
- One waterproof backpack or boat bag for day gear.
- One small LED headlamp with batteries.
- Toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant, razor, lotion, shampoo bottle, Advil, Ambien, earplugs, band-aids, Bactroban (prescription anti-bacterial ointment), Benadryl, Goldbond powder, Z pack, and Cipro.
