Along the
Skeena:

It was an early start for me since I needed to be at the train station at 7:15-ish to check-in for my trip. VIA Rail currently shares a building with BC Ferries from my starting point in Prince Rupert. So once there, I was ready to board my train to Terrace. The trip was scheduled to take 2 hours and 40 minutes. The porter stowed our bags, checked our tickets, staffed the canteen, and provided us with friendly banter and a sunny disposition for our time with him. 

Once I boarded, I was instantly taken back in time. The charm and decor of the car dated back to much earlier days. The unbelievable amount of comfort — ample legroom and a reclining seat with footrests — was a delight. We were all invited to head over to the canteen for hot and cold beverages and light snacks, and upstairs to the glass-domed car for a special view. We travelled along the Skeena River for most of the trip, offering stunning views of the ancient waterway. This particular route is part of VIA Rail‘s broader Skeena service, which runs between Prince Rupert and Jasper, with stops in a handful of small communities along the way — Terrace, Smithers, and Prince George among them, offering an entirely different way to see this stretch of Northern BC. 

We were a tad late getting into Terrace, delayed just outside of town by a freight train. Not unusual, we’re told, so if you’re travelling by rail, factor that into your plans. Mine were flexible, so once I arrived at the station — inside the George Little House (more on that later) — I called a taxi to take me to the airport to pick up my car at National Car Rental. It was a quick trip, and I was on my way to my first stop in Terrace: lunch!

Hot House Restaurant was highly recommended — in fact, it’s ranked #2 of 46 Terrace restaurants. The menu offers a choice of Indian (Davinder’s Dhaba) and Mexican (Claudia’s Cantina) dishes, along with a few burger options. I opted for the lamb curry, which came with naan. It was a generous portion, delicious, and served to me by Davinder himself. I didn’t partake in beer myself at this stop, but noted they had a great selection of local craft beer on offer.

A quick stop followed at my hotel for the next two nights, Quality Inn Sunshine Suites — a large, centrally located hotel with a ton of amenities, including breakfast each morning and a coffee and tea bar available 24/7.

It was a drizzly afternoon, looking to clear up later, so with a few hours before my dinner reservation, I opted to take a drive to one of my own bucket-list spots in BC: the Nisg̣a’a Memorial Lava Bed Park (Anhluut’ukwsim Lax̣mihl Angwinga’asanskwhl Nisg̣a’a Park). My guy and I travelled to Iceland years ago, and at the time he said, “You know, we didn’t need to come all this way to see lava beds — we have them in Northern BC too.” About 100 km from Terrace, my first stop was the Nisga’a Visitor Centre, which offered opportunities to learn about Nisga’a culture, the local landscape, and the full story of the eruption just 250 years ago. My host there showed me three short videos — one on how the lava beds were actually formed (from a fissure, not a volcano), one on the local peoples who inhabit the area, and one on the oolichan, the small fish revered as a “saviour food” that arrived each year at winter’s end just as food stores were running low. The lava beds themselves were covered in lichen and adorned with fireweed and other wild flora, unlike in Iceland, where it was just lichen-covered lava — much more beautiful here, in my opinion.

“Roughly 250 years ago, the Tseax Cone erupted and sent a river of lava down the valley of the Tseax. The flow buried two Nisg̣a’a villages and reshaped the land for some 10 kilometres, damming the Nass and creating Lava Lake. It is the most recent volcanic eruption in Canada.”

Dinner tonight was at Don Diego’s Restaurant. For 30+ years, they’ve been serving world-class Mexican and international-style cuisine, keeping it fresh with a menu that changes daily. I opted for the enchiladas, which were superb, alongside a paloma cocktail. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed — soft, upbeat music playing as groups of all sizes and ages settled in around me, everyone from young families to couples on date night. It’s clearly a spot that appeals to locals of every kind, and definitely a local favourite.

Feeling pleasantly satiated, and with it being a mild and clear night, I decided to do the Mural and Public Art walk around town that I’d postponed from earlier in the day. Move over, Vancouver — Terrace’s murals rival yours based on a few factors: the sheer number (dozens), the variety in styles, and the walkability of the display. Most of them exist thanks to the Skeena Salmon Arts Fest, a First Nations arts collective that has brought the bulk of this public art to Northwest BC. Map in hand, I had no trouble finding wonderful artwork around town. I’ve shared a handful of my favourites below — the perfect end to my first day in Terrace.

From massive murals that stretch more than 100 feet wide and 30 feet tall, to smaller detailed murals, the Skeena Salmon Arts Festival Society has worked hard with property owners, businesses and organizations to match owners who wish to beautify their buildings with artists who can create the vision they seek.

I made my way to the Fairlie Cafe for breakfast. Located inside the George Little House, I was back where I first arrived in Terrace — this building was the residence of the town’s founding father, George Little. Today, Fairlie Cafe is a cozy community hub serving local Ascent Coffee, fresh-baked goods, and sandwiches, with a pretty outdoor patio bordered by flowers. My coffee was superb, but I must admit the cup had me perplexed for a second — I wasn’t quite sure how to actually drink from it, but after watching a few other patrons, I figured it out. It’s pretty clever, actually, and eliminates the need for a lid.

It was time to head out for my first activity of the day, and I was excited to be meeting up with my Tourism Terrace hosts, Liz, Jessica, and Tracy. Just a quick 10-minute drive from town, at the foot of Thornhill Mountain, is the Skeena Valley Golf & Country Club — touted as one of the most scenic courses in BC, and you absolutely cannot argue with that. The towering granite rockface of Thornhill Mountain above the course rivals the Stawamus Chief in Squamish. We opted to play nine holes, best ball, and of course we got carts! You can also play a full 18 holes, for a par-73 championship-style experience. After the game, we headed to the clubhouse for lunch. Feeling quite hungry after our golf, I opted for the cheddar bacon burger. We dined with views of the course and the mountains around us.

I said farewell to my hosts and travelled on to my next destination, the Kitselas Canyon National Historic Site, a 15-minute drive from Terrace, nestled along the banks of the Skeena River. I arrived to find four interpretive buildings built in the traditional style of longhouses. Here, you can learn about the site, which has been an important place to the Gitselasu people of the Ts’msyen Nation for more than 6,000 years. The 1-km trail down to the canyon leads to the pts’aan (clan crest poles). At the end of the trail, there was a platform offering full views of the Skeena River and canyon below. I opted to go self-guided, but you can also book tours.

Kitselas Canyon was home to up to six ancestral Gitselasu villages, including the villages of Gitseax and Gitlaxdzawk, a fortified site, which made it unique compared to other Indigenous villages along the north coast. These two villages were occupied up until the 1870s.

On my way back to town, I stopped at Kleanza Creek Provincial Campground to check out the falls I had been promised. Kleanza means “gold” in the Gitxsan language, and mining for gold was first carried out in the creek in the late 1890s. I didn’t find any physical gold myself, but the falls were really pretty, and it was a nice, quiet stop to relax before the evening’s festivities.

After some quiet time back at my hotel, I strolled across the parking lot to Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse (I did say the hotel was centrally located!), where I had been invited to participate in their monthly “Mug Club.” SMB has expanded over the years from a tasting room and brewery to also include a beer store and a proper Viking-style beer hall for live music, comedy, and more. Beautiful timber and glass feature throughout the tasting room, patio, and beer hall.

The folks at SMB presented me with my very own hand-built pottery mug and escorted me to the beer hall to mingle with the locals and sample their beer. Parker’s IPA filled my mug, and off I went to mingle. Throughout the night there were draws for swag, and at the end of the evening, Erinn, my host, introduced everyone to the brewery’s new head brewer, Liam Murphy. If he sounds familiar, Liam had just relocated back to his hometown of Terrace after many years with Yellow Dog Brewing in Port Moody. Liam said he was spending some time getting to know the brewhouse, but eventually has some new beer recipes up his sleeve that he’d like to make. After a recent change of ownership, a rebrand, and now a new brewer, this local community hub is set to continue on its successful path.

Quick check-out from my hotel, then a stop at Cafenara for coffee and a pastry, before heading onto Terrace Mountain in search of wolves. Cafenara was a vibrant cafe, and I would have loved to linger, but today I was on a mission.

Just 5 minutes out of downtown, and I was at the base of the trail for the Terrace WolfPack, a public art installation featuring six life-size metal wolf sculptures overlooking the Skeena River. Let’s go! The 15-minute hike itself was relatively easy, though rocky in places, with a decent climb of about 280 metres. At the top, sprawling views of the Skeena River and valley made my thumping heart worth it! Along the river below, people were fishing, and to the left was the Old Skeena Bridge, which had just celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025 — I made a point of driving over it myself a little later that day.

The Terrace Wolfpack was created by Steve Rogers who operates Great Bear Ironworks.

Now a little peckish, I figured it was perfect timing to hit up Bert’s Delicatessen, another iconic Terrace business, family-run since 1967, known for its sandwiches, deli meats, cheeses, and all sorts of specialty items, pastas, and condiments — and, though I wasn’t there on the right day, fresh sourdough bread. Filled with Dutch salted licorice and other European treats and deli meats, memories came flooding back — I’m of European heritage myself and enjoyed these things often growing up. I was already fully caffeinated but noted they had a menu of special latte creations to pair with your sandwich. I could have easily loaded up, but I was flying home, and space in my suitcase was sadly limited.

The second-to-last stop on my itinerary was the Terrace Art Gallery, just across the street from the deli. A beautiful space for art, with a gift shop filled with local artisan crafts, the gallery featured two exhibits while I was there: “From Tow Hill to Terrace,” paintings by Maryanne Wettlaufer, and “The True Face Behind the Mask,” acrylic paintings by Stephen Mann. In many ways, the two were opposites — one grounded in landscape, the other in portraiture — but both were compelling, and Maryanne’s paintings in particular captured some of the scenes I’d seen along my trip.

It was time to head out, but not before I stopped at the Terrace Visitor Centre. Inside the quintessential log cabin structure was all the warmth, art, and culture of Terrace, there for visitors to enjoy. Grab a cup of coffee, peruse Indigenous and local artisan arts and crafts, rent an e-bike, grab a map, or ask the friendly staff for tips on all things Terrace. Terrace offers something for everyone. It has all of the amenities and shopping you could want, plus outdoor activities galore. Make this town a destination on your next trip!

I was off to Kitimat and Smithers next, where I’d eventually catch a flight home to Vancouver Island. On my way out of town, I stopped at Lakelse Lake on the recommendation of one of my new friends in Terrace. The lake serves as a local recreation site to beat the heat on a summer’s day, and I can see why — gorgeous, enormous, and something for everyone.

Thanks, Terrace! My first time visiting, and not my last.