My revised August trip

[Koastal Karl]

Our Alaska trip in August has been changed and we are now just gonna take the Nor Ad to Rupert and then drive Highway 16 to Prince George then up to Fort St John, Dawson Creek, Grande Prairie, Grande Cache, Jasper, Canadian Icefields then back through the Okanagan.

I am interested in doing the Francois Lake Ferry which is south of Burns Lake. What is on the other side of Francois Lake??? It looks just like gravel roads. But I am just interested in taking the ferry as I have never taken that trip before. I know Jim lives up in that area so if there is any info on the areas between Prince Rupert and Prince George that would be great.

[WettCoast]

Karl, by all means make the side trip to Francois Lake. The Francois Forester is a very plain looking and utilitarian vessel, but it is (as far as I can tell) the second largest vessel in BC's inland fleet. The ferry is located about 25 minutes driving time south of Burns Lake and the road leading there is a paved, decent, highway. On the other side there are several roads including ones leading to Takaizie (sp?) Lake (fishing, camping, lodges, boating), and to Ootsa Lake, part of the Nechako Reservoir. If you go to Ootsa (about a 45 minute drive from the ferry) you might like to go just a few km's east on the lake's north shore to see the Skins Lake spillway where water is discharged into the Nechako system.

[Koastal Karl]

Are there any good campsites along highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George?? that you could pull a trailer into.

[WettCoast]

You might need a campsite in Rupert for when you get of the NorAd. The Park Avenue camp ground is your best bet, and is located just 1 km down the road toward town from the ferry terminal www.ohwy.com/bc/p/parkavcg.htm.

Beyond that there are many choices, both public and private. I am assuming that with a trailer you are staying in it and want electrical hookups, etc., so you need an RV park as opposed to a tenting type of site. Just east of Burns Lake you will find such a site and I would recommend it. It is a KOA camp ground www.burnslake-bc.worldweb.com/WheretoStay/Campgrounds/. It is also a good choice if you are planning a side trip to Francois Lake. If you want more info just ask. How much time do you intend to spend going between the Princes?

[Deleted]

I just came back from a two week trip and I found that the campground books for the provinces that I was traveling in were excellent. Alberta and Sask guides are listed in alphabetical order by city.

For BC, I used BC'c RV Adventure and Camping guide 2007/8---this one is Super Camping www.camping.bc.ca I think that I picked up the book at Pedens in Sidney. There is a tourist information center at the Inner Harbor, where you can pick up all types of camping guides for free. BCAA has books, but for members only.

For full services(SPW), we paid anywhere from 25-55 dollars a night, depending on the campsite. The average was about $35.00 a night.