Smithers, BC

We passed through many cute towns while traveling through BC on our way north to Alaska, but Smithers stands out because of the beautiful mountains that surround it. 

We first arrived late on a rainy day and planned to only stay the night, but when we awoke the next morning the storm clouds revealed the beautiful mountains that hold surround Smithers. We signed up for one more night, and set off to find a hike that would take us into the mountains. 

We decided to hike the Crater Lake trail and headed towards the trailhead on Hudson Bay Mountain. We found a parking area amidst a small collection of cabins nestled into the mountainside. After parking we noticed more clouds rolling in, so decided to pack a rain jacket and hope the rain would hold off for a few hours. 

About 2 miles in the clouds started to roll in faster. We readied for rain, but the clouds began to drop small pieces of ice that pelted us. Undeterred, we continued on to the lake. 

Once we reached the lake, we found that it was frozen, but as we approached the bank we could see the beautiful turquoise water peaking out from below the ice sheet. Opposite the lake, we looked out to a sweeping landscape and watched the clouds move away from us. 

We thought back to our time at Crater Lake in Oregon, and were pleased to find this Crater Lake much more remote and peaceful. Although we'd made our way here along a trail, it was easy to feel as if we were the first people to have visited this place in a long time.

After a lunch by the lake, we made our way back to the trailhead and then down the mountain towards camp. Along the way we saw signs for Twin Falls and decided to take a detour, and we're glad we did. Here we watched two waterfalls cascad into a lush valley and noticed signs for the Glacier Gulch Trail. 

We considered hiking Glacier Gulch the next day, but decided to head onwards to our next destination. Now, that unfinished business means we have a reason to go back to Smithers.