Finding a gem on the Alaska Highway

Even someone who has driven the Alaska Highway more than 30 times can still be surprised and impressed. Headed to Watson Lake from Fort Nelson a couple of days ago, I suddenly saw a little sign by a narrow gravel road on the right. "Smith River Falls 2 KM" it said. There was no place to park, no place to turn around, and the road was obviously not up to snuff for a big rig with a dinghy behind it. Plus I didn't even have enough time to slow down when I saw the sign.

I kept going, but the sign kept nagging at me. Finally, 12 miles later, there was a large turnout and I pulled over. I quickly unhitched my dinghy, drove back the 12 miles and headed into the woods. Slightly farther than the 2 KM (1.2 miles) promised by the sign, this is what I saw. A nice trail with stairs led down close to the falls where this picture was taken, and I could have followed it farther, right to the shoreline at the base of the falls.

If you look real closely at the picture, you can see two teen aged girls at the lower left to give you some idea of the scale of this place. This was indeed an impressive stop. And later I learned that the pool below the falls is chock full of feisty grayling. I never even thought to bring my fishing rod.