Travel on Highway 20

[Koastal Karl]

I am just wondering what the highway is like from Bella Coola to Williams Lake??? I would really like to do the Queen of Chilliwack trip to Bella Coola but my mom is worried about the highway from Bella Coola to Williams Lake. Mainly, the BIG HILL section of the highway. Has anyone travelled it recently and is it paved? I dont think it is that bad as all types of vehicles probably travel the highway including probably motorhoms and so on. Any info would be great.

[WettCoast]

In the winter months virtually everything going into and out of Bella Coola comes in on Hwy 20. Big semi trucks successfully negotiate the big hill both up and down, year round. In the summer especially, this is not really a big deal.

When I was last on this road in 2002 the entire hwy from WL to BC is paved except for the hill itself. They were working on the hill in 2002 and it may be paved now too - perhaps someone else knows?

Hwy 20's infamous 'Big Hill' is similar to the hill on the Duffy Lake road [Hwy 99] encountered just out of Lilloett en route west bound to Pemberton.

Go for it - enjoy the Queen of Chilliwack, the mid coast, and BC's Cariboo-Chilcotin country. It will be an excellent trip!

[Koastal Karl]

Yeah I have no problem with the hill as I dont think it is that bad. It would be nice to do that trip, if I can convince them to go!

[WettCoast]

Reduced service on the Inside Passage route means that fewer people will be able to do what is known as the Totem Circle this year. The Totem Circle trip involves travel up Van. Isl. to Port Hardy, ferry to Prince Rupert, and then return east & south to Vancouver via Prince George, Cariboo, etc.

A good alternative to that trip would be the Discovery Coast Passage and Hwy 20 [and return to Vancouver] which is being made more available due to an increased frequency of daylight non-stop trips between Port Hardy & Bella Coola.

You can, of course, do this trip in either direction, just as you can with the Totem Circle.

[Koastal Karl]

Have you done it before??? Where can you stay in Bella Coola??

[Low Light Mike]

Karl: we did the Bella Coola trip in 1999.

We stayed at "Bella Coola Valley Inn", which we though was a nice motel, with a bar on the main floor. Nice rooms.

The hill is gravel, but was recently improved.....in 2003/2005. Respect it, stop a couple of times to let the engine cool, and you'll be fine.

The pavement returns at Anahim Lake....with maybe a gravel portion near Tatla Lake again.

The chilcotin plateau is fabulous, like a giant table-top, where you go-up on the Bella Coola Hill.....and the you go down again at the Fraser River.

The scenery is just like a Louis Lamour novel.....cowboy stuff.

conclusion: the hill is ok......just respect it.

[Koastal Karl]

yeah I thought it wasent that bad. What kind of car did you take up there Flugel??? lol!

[WettCoast]

In 2002 I drove a Ford Escort wagon up and down hill, no big deal. Stayed at a Prov. Park campsite about 30 min east of Bella Coola. Main reason for being in that area was to do a canoe trip on Turner Lake chain in southern Tweedsmuir Park. One of the best wilderness canoeing destinations in BC.

I have never done the 'Discovery Coast' ferry trip. Maybe this summer. I have been on the Q of Chilliwack, however, on Jervis Inlet in Aug of 2003.

[Low Light Mike]

a super-sweet "Dodge Shadow"......not very powerlful, and not something that you'd see parked in Hergfest's garage !

We used low gear driving UP the steepest parts of the hill.

[Koastal Karl]

I guess if we were to do this trip we would have to book a month or two in advance if we were planning on going in August. I have a feeling this route may be more popular than the inside passage this summer being this trip is a short day trip not like the 20 hr inside passage cruise this summer will be.

[BrianWilliams]

Some of y'all know; we rode Q of Chilliwack to Bella Coola in July 2004, and drove out on Hwy 20.

I'll recycle some of the photos here, as encouragement.

We chose the mis-named "Bay Motor Inn" as our landfall accomodation, and we were very happy. The Bay is in Hagensborg, 10 miles up-valley from Bella Coola.

We could not have made a better choice. The Bay is a welcoming place. We booked two nights, but stayed for a week.

Clean, but not pretty at first sight:



View from the Bay's outdoor bar:



We made many new friends, including Smokey, the gentle town mooch:



Most amazing, the café at the Bay has the valley's best, most imaginative meals. On our first morning, we trooped into the cheery diner. The menu had bacon, eggs, pancakes ... and an omelette with 3 cheeses and chipotle; knishes with sour cream; latkes; crepes with fresh fruit; poached salmon steak with eggs (an alternative to their terrific NY breakfast steak). Wow! And nothing over 12 bucks.

Well, the Bay set the tone for all our trip. We were privileged to meet John Edwards there, one morning.

John, y'all may know, is one of the late Ralph Edwards' family. That tragic summer, the Edwards place at Lonesome Lake was destroyed by the Turner fire. John hiked in and out of his valley in those terrible days; in town, the Bay was his home.

We met John just before the fire exploded. He was arguing with BC Forest Service from the pay phone in the Bay's lobby, begging the Victoria bureaucrats to suppress the small fire at Turner Lake ... I'll return to that in a sec.

John Edwards, our waitress Cindy, and Jeannie (and me) with our mutts at the Bay:

[BrianWilliams]

Focussing on the subject - Highway 20:

There's a good warning at the Chilcotin end of the Big Hill:



At the top of the grade, Heckmann Pass is a pretty place. A nice contrast to the rainforest valleys below:

[BrianWilliams]

The Big Hill in 2004:



Steep, well-graded gravel. An easy drive in good weather, especially good because of little traffic.

I thought of The Big Hill as a one-time challenge. Brian Peck, our Hagensborg host, recommended his pals Jack and Anita's place at Anahim Lake as our next stop.

"Oh, I can't get 'em on the phone -- drive up and take a look"

Over The Hill?

We did, and became Hill veterans in the next few days before we moved to Anahim Lake.

Ahh - Anahim Lake was Paradise when we moved in a week later!

[BrianWilliams]

We drove The Hill 4 times, like commuters, after our first Anahim visit.

Then we stayed at Anahim Lake Resort for a few days.

www.anahimlakeresort.com/anahim.htm

In Highway 20 country, this must be the friendliest place! Jack and Anita not only welcome guests' dogs; they'll loan you a few if you need 'em.

The welcoming committee on our first visit:



... and Buddy and Willie on our second day, having adopted us as water sports fans. "Throw the stick, c'mon..."

[BrianWilliams]

There is more to beautiful, remote Anahim Lake .... wow, as we learned.

On our first visit, we saw an osprey dive into the water and flap away with a fat trout. Hiking along the shore at dusk, beavers swatted the water; then we saw their works:



-- and more:

[BrianWilliams]

Best of all, in Highway 20's high plateau: The lakes support North America's last and largest population of White Pelicans.

Anahim Lake pelicans are wonderful to see:

[Koastal Karl]

More HILL photos I found on webshots

community.webshots.com/photo/440836259/1440839522049027704HUKEdQ

community.webshots.com/photo/74870788/1075815080028961040pXmKIi

[Koastal Karl]

Can you do Bella Coola to Williams Lake in a day? I dont care if it's a long day can you do in a day.

[Low Light Mike]

Yes, you can do it in a long day's drive.

BUT: you're in a unique area of BC, that you likely don't get to visit often: PLEASE take some time to enjoy it.

I'm disappointed that I only spent 3 nights in the area....there was so much more to see & do (if you like beautiful scenery, cowboy country, chilcotin-war history, Alexander Mackenzie history, bukwus sightings, etc etc).

but, yeah, you can drive out in 1 day.

[Koastal Karl]

Well I am planning to do a weeks trip with this. My plan is to spend nights in Port Hardy, Bella Coola, Williams Lake, Kamloops, Revelstoke, and Kelowna and other areas in the okanagan. I say Revelstoke cause I would like to try and take the Galena Bay ferry too. I only plan to stay 3 nights in the Cariboo region. Where did you stay Flugel?? Obviously everyone has to stay in Port Hardy and Bella Coola I would assume. Did you stay anywhere along highway 20???

[BrianWilliams]

To Karl:

Echoing another answer, yes, you can drive out of Bella Coola to Williams Lake in a long summer day.

Check the ferry schedule. The late-evening arrival will force an all-night drive across the Chilcotin plateau, maybe meeting dawn at Williams Lake.

*sigh* Why? The only reason for this trip must be to see the remote Coast Mountains from the sea; then to enjoy the glacial Bella Coola River as it roams across a sea-level valley of meadows and rain forest.

In Tweedsmuir Park, little Hwy 20 crosses Burnt Bridge Creek (celebrated in the 1792 Mackenzie journal) and heads up the Atnarko River.

Near the summit of the Big Hill, the Rainbow Mountains are visible. Named by Mackenzie, their description is right: painted rocks in every shade from yellow to purple.

From Anahim Lake, through Kleena Kleene, Tatla Lake and Chilanko Forks there isn't much ... just meadows, swampy lakes, mid-elevation forest ... under the biggest sky we have in BC.

Near Alexis Creek, a huge view opens south, to the Chilko Mountains. Wow! Glacier peaks towering over the plateau.

And our last surprise near Hanceville: Hwy 20 rambled from Anahim with mountains on the edges - yike! A great black ridge appeared in front of us.

We dove into the canyon of the Chilcotin River. The Chilcotin was a swampy creek when we crossed her at Chilanko Forks; fortified by the Chilko River, Chilcotin was a turquoise fury in Bull Canyon.

A welcome stop is the Riske Creek Store a few miles on. The dusty cow town shoes horses, fixes trucks and serves rare steaks. Mmm.

I appeal to you, don't drive Hwy 20 as a challenge. You can, and the road is well maintained; but there's so much to enjoy.

[Koastal Karl]

Yeah, well the ferry arrives at 8pm so we wouldent be driving at night through there. Who would?, lol! How many hours do you think it would take to drive it in a day??? I know it probably is a slow route though. What places are there to stay along highway 20??

[WettCoast]

The Bella Coola Valley and Chilcotin Plateau is splendid country where views such as shown here are common. You really ought not be in a hurry.



Junker Lake and mountains in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park south-east of Bella Coola.

Driving time should be about 6 hours. The distance between Bella Coola and Williams Lake is 456 km. The road is paved over 90+% of its length and it is fairly easy to make an average speed of 80 km/h. There are many places to stay in the Bella Coola Valley and beyond. There are many reasons not to rush, some given by Brian Williams, above. Another thing you won't want to miss is the Canadian Coast Guard station just west of Williams Lake.

[Koastal Karl]

That really isent all that bad 6 hours from Bella Coola to Williams Lake. I thought it was alot longer. I mean we drove one day from Prince George all the way to Canmore Alberta. Although that was rushing though through the icefields as it was getting late. But even taking your time from Bella Coola I think you could not rush and be in Williams Lake in the evening as it is light till like 9 or so during the summer.

[BrianWilliams]

Karl:

Do check the Port Hardy-Bella Coola schedule again. Bear Cove (Port Hardy) departures are 08:00; arriving Bella Coola at 20:00 (8:00 PM).

Chilcotin River at Bull Canyon, near Hanceville:



Chilli at Bear Cove: