Skeena River Historical Jet Boat Journey Hazelton to Port Essington This five day experience will retrace the travels of the sternwheelers that navigated the Skeena River from Hazelton to Port Essington in the early 1900 s. You will join a small group of 10 guests boarding two jet boats to begin a 300 kilometer journey along the Skeena River, through the coastal mountains before arriving at Port Edward. Much of the time will be spent floating the river without the engines running allowing you to enjoy the awe-inspiring beauty of the river on this trip of a lifetime! You will eat, sleep and breathe early Skeena River history for five days on the river, as well as gaining knowledge about the region from a variety of guest speakers and first nation s communities. Historic sights of interest will be visited and discussed as your group navigates through some of the most scenic landscape in the world. This journey will provide photographers with some very unique picture taking opportunities. You will spend all five nights in accommodations adjacent to the Skeena River. The tour will commence in the community of Hazelton with a visit to the historic village of Ksan, a living museum of the Gitxsan Aboriginal people. The trip will finish in the Skeena River Estuary where you will explore the history of the northcoast canneries and fishing villages. The last two nights will be spent in the historic Cassiar Cannery, a once thriving salmon cannery recently restored as luxury accommodations. You will complete your
journey by retracing the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad route on a return trip to Hazelton by rail. Highlights of the trip will include: Ksan Village and Museum Kitseguecla Culture and History Kitwanga Totem Poles and Church First Nations salmon netting and processing Woodcock Airstrip Cedarvale (Meanskinisht) Dorreen Ghost town Usk Community and reaction ferry Kitselas Canyon Skeena River Salmon BBQ Kitsumkalum River Exchamsiks River Remote Hotsprings soak Port Essington Osland Skeena River canneries o Haysport o Claxton o Carlisle o Cassiar o North Pacific Train ride from Cassiar Cannery to Hazelton Amazing photography opportunities
Itinerary Day One The first day of the trip will begin in the community of Hazelton where we will have a meet and greet breakfast which will include introductions and a discussion of the tour itinerary. Your first stop is the aboriginal historic site of Ksan. From there, you will board one of two jet powered river boats and begin your voyage down the river towards the ocean. This section of the Skeena was notorious for its navigation hazards and the difficulty it presented for the Sternwheelers, but this will not be an issue for our modern day jet boat transportation. As you journey down the river, your tour guide will highlight many of the stories from this early period of British Columbia s history and will identify the associated locations. You will stop at the first nations community of Gitsegukla or People of the sharp pointed mountain where a hereditary chief will provide a cultural tour of the village. Next, the tour will travel to The People of the Place of Rabbits or Gitwangak, where another hereditary chief will share their knowledge of the carved house totem poles that date back to 1840. The final stop of the first day will be to visit a first nations salmon netting and processing site on the banks of the river, below the community of Gitwangak. Your accommodations on this first night will be in unique wall tents adjacent to the mighty Skeena River that are erected on cedar platforms with spacious sundecks and commanding views. These deluxe tents are well appointed with quilt-covered queen sized beds, antique furnishings, rugs and oil lamps to lend luxury and romance to a roughing it experience.
Day Two This will be one of the busiest days as the tour will be stopping at as many historic sites as possible. The day will start with a quick stop at Woodcock, which is home to a crumbling RCAF runway adjacent to the Skeena River. Shortly after this stop, your tour will arrive at the present day site of Cedarvale, or Meanskinisht as it was known in the early 1900 s. The highlights of this stop will be the museum and an interpretive visit of the Meanskinisht Cemetery which is the burial location of the famous Anglican Missionary Robert Tomlinson. With so much to visit, the jet boats will power through some of the most well know rapids with names like Devil s Elbow, Hornet s nest, and Gig Rapids. These rapids were the demise of more than one Skeena River Sternwheeler over the years. The remote Ghost Town of Dorreen will be visited, with one of the part time residents guiding the group through the scattering of buildings and old vehicles that still remain. The once thriving town of Usk will warrant a quick visit, reaction ferry ride, and presentation by a long time resident. The next stop will be Kitselas Canyon, which was, and still is, the most feared section of the Skeena River. Your jet boat operators will guide their boats through the churning and swirling waters of the narrow canyon and you will then take a tour of the Kitselas Canyon Historic Village. The remainder of the day will have you jetting down past many sites enroute to your second night s accommodation at the Magnificent Yellow Cedar Lodge on the banks of the Skeena River.
Day Three After a hearty breakfast in the lodge your journey will continue through some of the most scenic sections of the trip as the Skeena River carves its way through the towering, snow capped, coastal mountains. This day will be taken at a slower pace with more time to explore islands and gravel bars in search of that unique photo or memory. The jet boats will float many portions of the river on this day, allowing time to just take in the awe inspiring beauty. One of the highlights will be a lunch time salmon BBQ on a Skeena River gravel bar. If water levels permit, the tour will jetboat up one of the many scenic Skeena River tributaries some of which are known as The Most Beautiful Rivers in the World. Your accommodations will again be near the banks of the river as the boat drops you off for the evening to stay at the (?). You will have a hearty dinner and then be enlightened by the evening guest speaker who will prepare the group for the next day s adventure. Day Four This segment of the trip marks the tidal portion of the Skeena River where you will experience the rising and dropping water conditions which the jet boat operators must be cognizant of You will boat by some magnificent scenery on this day as waterfalls cascade down from the glaciers and the vegetation and ecology changes to a coastal variety. You will visit Port Essington which is the site of a salmon cannery that operated in the late 1800 s and early 1900 s. Highlights here include the eerie moss covered grave sites in the cemetery, and the remnants of the historic
boardwalk. You will also have a chance to look at the remains of the once thriving Balmoral and Haysport Canneries. If the group is wanting a soothing afternoon soak in a remote hotspring, a stop can be made to enjoy this special place. The tour will then make its way through the Skeena River estuary before arriving at Cassiar Cannery where you will spend the next two nights. Day Five The last full day on the water will be spent exploring the canneries and fishing communities of the lower Skeena River. You will board the boat in front of the recently restored cannery manager houses that provided your accommodation. The first stop will be the unique fishing community of Osland. The long boardwalk, which is supposedly an extension of Highway 16, and a variety of old fishing boats and cabins will keep you busy as well as providing opportunities for the photographers who are looking for that special photo. The tour will then explore the old cannery locations of Carlisle and Claxton on the south side of the Skeena River. The old pilings, structures and discarded items will again make for some interesting photography. The day will end with a tour of the North Pacific Cannery Historic Site and then back to the Cassiar Cannery where there will be some time in the evening to check out the relics and other remnants from its glory days.
Day Six You will say goodbye to your tour operators as you board the via rail train which has been schedules for a special pick up right at the cannery site. This train ride will provide a different perspective of the Skeena River as the train follows the river all the way back to the starting point of the tour in Hazelton. It is ironic that the train is also the reason for the demise of the Skeena River as the major transportation route inland to Hazelton. It s time to embark on this journey of discovery! Why should you take this tour? If you are an individual looking for a unique, once in a lifetime experience, and you have an interest in the rich history of the Skeena River, then this tour is for you. If you are a photographer looking for unique and interesting photographic opportunities, you will not be disappointed by the varied and amazing scenery provided throughout. The tour is not overly demanding physically, but you must be able to get in and out of a boat with assistance and be able to walk up to a km on your own.