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THE NEW HIGHWAY FROM QUESNEL TO
PRINCE GEORGE

By the Construction Engineer.

HE central portion of British Columbia is being opened up for tourists,
by the extension of the famous Cariboo Road, from Quesnel to the city
of Prince George, a distance of 82 miles.

The entire work is a Federal aid project, and is being carried out in
conformity with modern engineering methods of highway construction. The
road is graded to a standard width of 16 feet clear, with maximum grades.
of 8 per cent.

The location, to a great extent, follows the broad valley of the Fraser
River, opening up thousands of acres of land for agricultural purposes.
Land settlement areas already have been located by the Government at
several points along the route, and small communities are rapidly growing
into existence.

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Upon leaving Quesnel, the road traverses a north-easterly direction to
the Cottonwood River, with its deep and narrow valley, thence swinging to
the north, when Hixon Mountain is climbed. After crossing the summit,
where many beautiful views may be had, the road drops off into the settle-
ment of Strathnaver.

The greater portion of this section of road over the mountain has a
natural gravel surface, affording an excellent surface at all times.

From Strathnaver the road proceeds north, and after crossing Canyon
and Hixon Creeks, the Woodpecker Summit is climbed. From this point the
Fraser River is viewed, with all its grandeur, the road gradually falling, in
the next 12 miles, to its level at Stone Creek. Crossing the creek, the road
climbs again, on easy grades, to the plateau level above the river, and in
proceeding to Prince George, passes through the centre of one of the largest
land settlement areas in the Province.

For 16 miles across this level prairie the road may be seen ahead, until
finally the Fraser River again comes into view, with the city of Prince George
in the distance.

The river is crossed on the combination highway and railroad bridge of
the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and is half a mile across.

At Prince George the road continues north for 32 miles to Summit
Lake, the outlet of which is the headwaters of the Arctic, and it is possible
here to take a boat and float downstream for hundreds of miles, with tribu-
taries coming in every few miles, first in a creek one could jump over, which
gradually becomes larger, until finally the stupendous waters of the Peace
River are entered, passing down the Peace to the McKenzie, and so on to the
Arctic. A truly wonderful trip, through a country abounding in game, fish,
and providing scenery unequalled anywhere on the continent.

To the west, from Prince George, a road is passable for 120 miles, and,
with the completion of a short gap at Burns Lake, will link up the country
as far west as Hazelton.

TWENTY-SIX