Salmon Glacier

Salmon Glacier outside of Stewart, BC

Past Prince George, we spied our first little black bear. He was sitting in a pond. By the time we turned the truck around, however, he was already out of the water. I took a few photos anyway. 

We decided to return to Hyder, Alaska, just across the border from Stewart, BC. (We had not visited since 2011.) Hyder sits along a sliver of land between Canada and the ocean. How these few, small remnants of land remain under American jurisdiction, I have no idea. There is even a border crossing there between the US and Canada, however, Hyder’s land mass is tiny, only connected to Canada and the sea.  Just over 100 folks make Hyder their home. 

Hyder is known for its bear viewing platform. I admit that I was a bit reluctant to revisit. The last time we were in Hyder, it rained constantly… for three solid days. We walked the bear viewing platform, waiting for glimpses of a few bears. By the end of day one, I was soaked to the skin. Then the night before we left, I remember coming back to the camper only to find it had leaked. We were in a laundromat at ten at night, trying to dry out our sleeping bags. This time, however, the forecast predicted sunny skies, so we decided to take the gamble. I’m glad we did. 

We camped at Meziadin Lake the night before Hyder, letting Sam have her fun swimming. 

Meziadin Lake, BC

The next morning when we drove past the bear viewing platform, we saw a tour bus had just deposited dozens of tourists. We  decided against stopping. Instead we took the road to Salmon Glacier. We had tried this route before, but the road had been rough and clouds were so low that we couldn’t see anything but gray. 

Not so today. The weather was beautiful.  The road to the glacier viewpoint is located at about 23 miles up a gravel road that begins just past the bear viewing platform. Although rough in spots, a two-wheel vehicle could definitely make the run (if you’re not pulling a trailer).  The road travels through several rather large mining operations, but that is not an issue. About half way up, we spied the beginning of Salmon Glacier. The next ten miles or so, the views were absolutely breathtaking. 

Salmon Glacier, BC

Salmon Glacier is the fifth largest glacier in Canada. It is a remnant of the last great age of glaciers. 

Salmon Glacier, BC

We stopped for lunch at the best view point, marveling at the panoramic beauty. We even spied distant mountain sheep with the binoculars… although they were much too far to get a good photo. 

We drove back into Stewart that afternoon and spent the night at the Bear River campground, enjoying hot showers and WiFi. 

Tomorrow we head to one of my favorite places on the Cassiar… Kinaskin Lake. It is wild and beautiful. It also holds a special place in my heart because of our last Golden, Roxanne. It will be good to be back.