Canada Travel Photo Gallery

Yellowhead British Columbia

The Yellowhead Highway #16 was built in the late 70 of the last century and is the second highway which connects the east with the west of Canada. The first highway was aptly named Trans Canada Highway #1.

The Yellowhead Highway #16 leads from Prince George through the middle of British Columbia 300km east to Téte Jaune Cache. The highway is built along the Frazer River Valley and is hemmed in by the Cariboo and Rocky Mountains. This is a very sparsely populated stretch of the Yellowhead Highway. Mc Bride is the only small town along this 300km stretch.

Driving east on the Yellowhead Highway #16 the Frazer Valley narrows a short distance after the town of Téte Jaune Cache. Suddenly mount Robson looms up it is the highest mountain of the Rocky mountains (3954m). The National Park is aptly named Mount Robson Provincal Park. Mount Robson dominates with it’s height all the surrounding mountains.

In the upper region of the Frazer River Valley and in the Mount Robson Provincial Park is mount Fitzwilliam (2907m). This mountain is predominant while driving east on the Yellowhead Highway #16 in the direction of the Yellowhead Pass. This picture of mount Fitzwilliam was taken after a 3 hour hike on the Yellowhead Mountain Trail. From this alpine region one has a beautiful view to mount Fitzwilliam over the fir tree forest and the Frazer Valley.

The Yellowhead Highway #16 leads from Winipeg to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Edmonton and over the Rocky Mountains to Prince George, on to Prince Rupert on the West Coast and ends after 3000km on the Queen Charlotte Island.
#5 highway is also a so called Yellowhead Highway and leads from Hope to Téte Jaune Cache.

The Yellowhead Highway got its name from Pierre Bostonais a Meti halfblood descendant from the Irokeses. Pierre Bostonais worked in 1825 for the Hudson Bay Company as a scout to check out the area around the Yellowhead Pass. Because of his blond hair he got the nickname Téte Jaune or “Yellowhead”. The highway signs are shown with a Yellowhead symbol. During his scouting activity he hid the harvested pelts in a cache of which one was where now the town of Téte Jaune Cache is. It is at the crossroad of the Yellowhead Highway #5 and #16. Pierre Bostonais and his family were killed in 1827 close to Téte Jaun Cache by local Indians.