Staff Pick

Road Trip Highway 20 – Williams Lake to Bella Coola, "The Hill"

Williams Lake Bella Coola
460
km
7h30
drive
Summer
season

The Itinerary

Highway 20 — the "Freedom Road" — crosses the Chilcotin from Williams Lake to Bella Coola fjord for 460 km. Built by residents themselves in 1953 after the government abandoned the project, the route includes "The Hill" — a 1,524 m descent over 16 km with 18% grades and gravel sections. One of North America's toughest and most spectacular roads.

The Chilcotin is one of British Columbia's last vast ranching landscapes: endless prairies, wild bison, cowboys, glacial lakes. Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, BC's largest provincial park, holds Hunlen Falls (260 m, Canada's 3rd-tallest waterfall). Anahim Lake and Nimpo Lake are fishing and bear-watching destinations.

Bella Coola, at the fjord's head, is a Nuxalk community of 2,000 — home where Alexander Mackenzie arrived in 1793, the first European to cross North America north of Mexico. Bella Coola Valley is also famous for wild grizzly bear viewing in September-October (salmon migration). BC Ferries link to Port Hardy possible.

Points of Interest

  • ✦
    "The Hill"
    1,524 m drop over 16 km, 18% grades, gravel.
  • ✦
    Tweedsmuir PP
    BC's largest provincial park, 260 m Hunlen Falls.
  • ✦
    Bella Coola Valley
    Nuxalk community, fall grizzly viewing.
  • ✦
    Alexander Mackenzie Rock
    1793 site, transcontinental crossing endpoint.
Practical info
  • Departure Williams Lake
  • Destination Bella Coola
  • Distance 460 km
  • Duration 7h30
  • Category Long (250–500 km)
  • Best season Summer
Themes
epic Indigenous grizzly Fjord adventure difficult-road nuxalk northern-bc

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