Stewart to Kinaskan Lake

Adventures in Pelican
Jun 1, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Jun 2, 2024

From Clements Lake we go back into Stewart, over the border again at Hyder and climb the mountain to the Salmon Glacier. It is for the most part a gravel track, climbing steeply through the mining operations, with wonderful views of the valleys below with bright turquoise glacial waters running down them.

We get to within a majestic view of the glacier when we can’t go on any further as there is snow across the road. We do a 5 point turn as the track is steep and narrow, with rocky cliffs rising to one side and steep drops from unstable edges to the other.

On the way back down, we pull over for a cup of tea in view of the glacier, and it really is a panoramic tea stop.

A little further down, rounding a corner, there is a black mother bear and her two cubs, just 10 yards or so away from us. We watch them for a few minutes and they don’t seem at all bothered by our presence, but take off when a large lorry passes.

We stop at Fish Lake which is a major fishing area for the bears during the salmon spawning season in July and August, and although all is quiet when we walk the boardwalks, one can imagine it when it’s busy. There is plenty of action though, withy lots of brightly coloured little birds busily flitting about amongst the shrubs overhanging the river.

We cross the border back into Canada once again, with the familiar friendly interrogation from the border guard, and then retrace our steps to the Meziadin Junction.

We enjoy several more bear sightings in the grassy areas by the roadside, and spot 2 grizzlies with white faces on a rocky outcrop, but they disappear as soon as we stop.

Lake Kinsman campsite is a joy - another $CAD20 per night, really clean and tidy, lovely pitches and the one we choose is 5 yards from the lakeside which is unbelievably beautiful.