Houston, British Columbia Best Waterfall Hikes Near Houston, BC Seven short walks off the forest service roads south and west of town — distances,...
2 months ago
September 7, 2026
Telkwa, British Columbia
Best Trails in Telkwa, BC
Six routes at the confluence of the Bulkley and Telkwa — distance, elevation gain and difficulty from recorded GPS tracks.
Telkwa sits where the Telkwa River runs into the Bulkley, fifteen minutes down Highway 16 from Smithers. The village is small — about 1,500 people — and the trails reflect that. Where Smithers sends you straight up Hudson Bay Mountain, Telkwa's walking starts at the end of a residential street or a provincial park parking lot, follows a river or a lakeshore, and gets you back in an hour.
That is the appeal, and it isn't the whole picture. Behind the village the Telkwa Range holds some of the biggest days in the valley, and the old mining roads that reach them start closer to Telkwa than to anywhere else. This is every trail worth the drive, split between the ones you can do in runners and the ones that need a full day and a proper plan. All 29 Telkwa trails are mapped on the site; these six cover the range.
Tyhee Lake Trail
- Distance
- 1.00 km
- Elevation gain
- 19 m
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Type
- Loop
A one-kilometre loop inside Tyhee Lake Provincial Park, following the lakeshore and the forest behind it. Nineteen metres of gain across the whole circuit, which is to say none you'll notice.
The park does the heavy lifting here. There's a 200-metre sandy beach with a roped-off swimming area, a playground in the day-use area, and a graded trail with a roll-out mobility mat down to the shore — one of the more accessible beaches in the north. The forest is second-growth aspen that came back after fire, so it's bright and open rather than dark timber, and it turns gold in September. If you want more walking than the loop gives you, the Aldemere Trail runs 2.3 km from the same park through the woods along the lake.
Suits families with small children, anyone with mobility limits, and campers who want a stretch before dinner. Best from May to September, though the park is popular for skiing and ice fishing once the lake locks up.
Historic Wagon Trail
- Distance
- 1.90 km
- Elevation gain
- 49 m
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Type
- Out-and-back
This one is worth doing for what happened here rather than what you'll see. The trail runs through the Aldermere townsite, on the bluff above the present village, on unceded Wet'suwet'en territory.
Aldermere was the first settlement in the Bulkley Valley — staked in 1904, sitting on the Telegraph Trail, and home to the valley's first hotel, post office, general store and newspaper. When the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway came through in 1907, the businesses moved downhill to be near the rail line and the water, and the town on the bluff emptied out. What's left is the road grade you're walking on. Two kilometres return and 49 metres of gain, so it's a short outing, but read the interpretive signage rather than route-marching it.
Suits anyone interested in how the valley got here, and it's an easy add-on to a Tyhee Lake morning. Good from spring through autumn; snow makes the grade slick.
Widzin'kwa Trail
- Distance
- 3.90 km
- Elevation gain
- 79 m
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Type
- Out-and-back
A riverside trail at the Bulkley River Recreation Site, named with the Wet'suwet'en word for the Bulkley — Widzin'kwa, the glacial blue-green waters. At 3.9 km return with 79 metres of gain it's flat walking, but it's longer than the village loops and it puts you on the river the whole way.
The Bulkley is a working steelhead river with an international reputation, and in autumn you'll share the bank with anglers who have travelled a long way to stand in it. Give them room. The water colour is the thing here — that opaque glacial green that photographs badly and looks remarkable in person.
Suits walkers who want distance without climbing, and anyone curious about the river the valley is built around. Best late summer into autumn, when the water drops and the cottonwoods turn.
Ganokwa Falls
- Distance
- 2.90 km
- Elevation gain
- 154 m
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Type
- Out-and-back
Short, steep for its length, and the biggest payoff per kilometre of anything just outside Telkwa. Just under three kilometres return for 154 metres of gain, through mossy forest, with a scramble near the end before you reach the falls dropping into a canyon.
The scramble is the part to plan for. It isn't technical, but it's the difference between this and the flat riverside walks above, and it's genuinely slippery after rain. Wear boots with some grip and don't take it on with a toddler on your back.
Suits reasonably sure-footed walkers who want a waterfall without giving up a day. Best in late spring and early summer, when snowmelt has the falls running hard.
Hunter Basin
- Distance
- 9.00 km
- Elevation gain
- 415 m
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Type
- Out-and-back
The first of the two real days on this list, and the more forgiving of them. Nine kilometres return with 415 metres of gain, starting on an old mining road south of Telkwa before opening into the basin, with views across the Telkwa Range and back down the Bulkley Valley.
The moderate rating is honest — the grade is steady rather than brutal, and the old road makes the lower half straightforward. What it asks for is time and a vehicle you trust on gravel. This is alpine terrain, so the season is short: everything below is walkable in May, and this is not.
Suits fit walkers ready for a half-day out with a view at the end. Best July through September, once the snow is off.
Astlais Mountain Summit
- Distance
- 9.20 km
- Elevation gain
- 837 m
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Type
- Out-and-back
The summit day. Nine kilometres return, 837 metres of climbing, and a panorama from the top that takes in the ranges on both sides of the valley — the Telkwas and Bulkleys to the west, the Babines to the east.
It's the gain that makes this hard rather than the distance. Nine kilometres is nothing; 837 metres in that span is a sustained climb with few flat sections to recover on. Start early, carry more water than feels necessary, and pack a shell — the summit is exposed and the weather in this valley turns fast.
Suits experienced hikers with a full day and settled weather. Best July to early September, and check conditions before committing to the drive.
Where to go next
Six trails is a weekend. Telkwa has 29 mapped, including the Tyhee Mountain routes, the Canyon Creek trails and the long backcountry days out toward Webster Lake and the Hankin Plateau, plus Tyhee Lake and two more fishing lakes. If you're staying up the highway in Smithers, every one of these is inside twenty minutes.
The map filters to Telkwa, so you can see how the village walks and the alpine days sit relative to each other.
