Stewart-Hyder

AUGUST 8, 2012   STEWART BC/HYDER AK

We only had a 40 mile drive to reach our campground in Stewart, BC, and a beautiful drive it was.  The Bear Glacier is very close to the highway, and very photogenic.  Then we passed through narrow, steep-walled, scenic Bear River Canyon, and on to the rustic town of Stewart, where we checked in at the Bear River Campground (in the rain, of course).

Bear Glacier on Rt. 37A

Stewart is located on the AK-BC border with the Alaskan town of Hyder just two miles away.  The towns are at the head of the Portland Canal, a narrow saltwater fjord about 90 miles long.  The Canal forms a natural  boundary between the US and Canada.  Both towns are old and rustic and interesting.

Stewart-note the buggies on the roof.  

Road to the town marina

Town Marina--Stewart

The Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Area use north of Hyder is a small but wonderful place run by the U.S. Forestry Service.  There is a boardwalk built along Fish Creek from which you can see grizzlies and black bears fishing for salmon which are spawning in the shallow water of the creek.  Observing the salmon and the bears from here was a highlight of this trip.

Salmon sparning in Fish Creek

We had dinner in a restaurant called The Bus, where the kitchen is really in an old converted bus.  Fortunately they have a few tables inside since it was still raining.  The owner catches the fish and his wife cooks it.  The waiter was their nephew, and after dinner we were entertained  by their pit bull, Holly, and by stories of close bear encounters.  Jim and Lana were there for dinner too.

The Bus

Holly and the cook

We returned to the Fish Creek Viewing Area, and saw a huge grizzly that had obviously been in some kind of fight.  His lip and one one ear were in bad shape and he had trouble catching fish.  A sow and cub decided against getting close to him and ran off into the woods.