Fort St. John, B.C.
British Columbia, Canada

Fort St. John, B.C. is a northern British Columbia, Canada community located on the historical driving route known as the Alaskan Hwy. The community also rests on North America's longest river system - the Mackenzie-Peace River system. The highway and river both are connected to the city.

The Alaska Hwy route follows a scenic 2,451 kilometre (1523 mi.) paved road from Mile "0" in Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska, U.S.A. The Mackenzie-Peace River system is an important waterway, historically and presently, covering over 4,200 kilometres from northern BC to the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean.

The community of Fort St. John is a commercial centre for the oil and gas, forestry, hydroelectricity and agriculture industries. The outskirts of town show signs of the oil and gas industries at work. Many of the people in the community are employed by the resource industries in the region.

The community is a popular stop on the Alaskan Highway located at the junction of Hwy 97 (Alaska Hwy) and Hwy 29. The community provides many of the amenities needed to prepare for a BC adventure. Along the highway is a good selection of bigger box stores, gas stations, restaurants and grocery shopping. In town on 100th Street is a better selection of retail stores, smaller unique shops, restaurants and galleries.

The surrounding hills, rivers, backcountry roads and trails provide the routes for many outdoor activities. In the summer people enjoy activities including hiking, biking, horseback riding, off roading, canoeing and swimming. Some of the more popular parks with trails include the Fish Creek and Beatton Parks.

In the winter, after the snow falls, the routes in both parks are enjoyed by xc skiers, and snowshoers. The back country gravel roads surrounding the community entertain the snowmobilers. While the lakes in the winter like Charlie Lake attracts temporary huts and a hearty ice fishing crowd.

Fort St John is also an ideal spot to embark from on a driving, biking tour of the area. The Peace River Loop Route travels through rugged wilderness regions touring mountains, valleys and over rivers. The route visits the communities of Taylor, Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd and Hudson Hope.

Being some of BC's most remote regions, there is plenty of wildlife to view. During outdoor activities and long driving tours there is an opportunity to view moose, deer, mountain goats, elk, caribou and more. For birdwatchers there is plenty of areas to view birds of prey, songbirds, water fowl and more.