Best kept secret of Fort St. John, B.C. Canada

View from end of 100th Street Sept. 23

                                              View from end of 100th Street Sept 28

The colourful autumn wasn’t visible in the town of Fort St. John. It had the occasional tree with leaves changing but not the same as I’d seen on my drives. But it didn’t take me long to discover the viewpoint for the Peace River valley at the end of 100th Street, about 3 minutes from downtown. It was a breathtaking view with ongoing color changes. It was hard to believe that such a view could be within minutes of the main highway yet not be marked for everyone to enjoy, it could be the best kept secret in town. Only the locals would be aware this was here. Then 5 days later, eager to share what I’d seen, I took a visiting friend down to show her the wonderful sight and was I in for a surprise ! It was such a change that I would not have believed it had someone told me the leaves would change that quickly. I’ve shown pictures taken on each day to compare the colors. Amazing.

W.A.C.Bennett, Peace Canyon Dams and Dinosaur Lake

W.A.C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River at Hudson's Hope, B.C., Canada

Hudson’s Hope is famous for the dams and we definitely had to visit them while we were there. They are very impressive, especially the W.A.C. Bennett dam, (pictured above), on the banks of the Peace River, 22km (13 mi) from Hudson’s Hope. It is one of the world’s largest earthen dams. B.C. Hydro’s dam also created Williston Lake, one of North American’s largest man made lakes. If you have the opportunity, take in the tour for the dam.

                  Dinosaur Lake at Peace Canyon Dam at Hudson's Hope, B.C., Canada

The Peace Canyon Dam came later, it is 23 km(14 mi) downstream from G.M. Shrum Generating Station. This dam created another man made lake called Dinosaur Lake, which was aptly named after various fossils dating back to dinosaur age were found during excavation for the dam. Hudson’s Hope was later found to have contained a very large selection of dinosaurs dating back millions of years. There is a campground on Dinosaur Lake, 7km (4.5mi) south of Hudson’s Hope on Hwy 29. The picnic area has 50 sites for camping and also has a boat launch for boating, swimming and fishing.