Telegraph Creek Road

LOCATION
North West British Columbia, CANADA

ROUTE DESCRIPTION
On the Cassier Highway (BC Highway 37), turn west at Dease Lake. The road to Telegraph Creek is beautiful but rough, with 112 km (69 mi) of gravel, steep gradients (up to 20%), narrow passages along canyon walls with no guardrails, and sharp-angled switchbacks. The road should be driven with caution and awareness, but is suitable for most vehicles. The community can also be reached by water, via the Stikine River from Alaska and by air.

The scenery along this road is remarkable, with views of the Grand Canyon of the Stikine River and Mount Edziza. 

BACKGROUND
We had driven past this highway intersection several times on trips along the Cassier Highway. Each time, local weather had created difficult or dangerous driving conditions and we chose to wait until another time. In 2005 we finally had the opportunity we'd been waiting for; dry, clear conditions and we were in a vehicle that was small and manoeuvrable enough (not a good road for a truck camper) to negotiate some of the switchbacks and narrow parts of the road.











The town site and area have a colourful history dating back to the gold rush era known as the Yukon Gold Rush. Gold was discovered in the Stikine River in the late 1860's and became the head of navigation for paddle wheelers during the planning phases of the Collins Overland Telegraph Cable. This cable project began in 1866 but was stopped when the first cable was laid across the Atlantic Ocean. The project started back up when the gold rush hit and was finished in 1901; by 1936 it was abandoned in favour of the new wireless radio technology.

More Photos Here ...

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If you enjoyed this report you might want to check out our drive up the

Salmon Glacier Road 






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