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Partners • Day Trips
District of Houston
The Steelhead Capital, an Hour Down Highway 16
Houston, BC — about 65 km southeast of Smithers on Highway 16
Most people meet Houston through a windshield. It sits on Highway 16 between Smithers and Burns Lake, and if you're driving through you'll notice the World's Largest Fly Rod at Steelhead Park and keep going. That's a mistake worth correcting.
Houston is a community of around three thousand people in the Bulkley Valley, on the traditional and unceded territory of the Wit'suwit'en people. It calls itself the Steelhead Capital, and the claim holds up. The Morice and the Bulkley meet here, and anglers travel a long way for what's in them. Around the rivers sit trails for every season, a chain of community parks, and a town that's been quietly investing in all of it.
Naturally Amazing.
Near Houston • Bulkley Valley, BC
The Place
Houston, BC — A Hidden Northern Gem
The town takes its name from John Houston, a pioneer newspaperman, and grew up the way most of northwest BC did, around forestry, the railway, and the rivers. Vast forest and mountain surround it on every side, and that geography still shapes both the economy and the weekends.
What's changed is the balance. Forestry remains central, but recreation has become a genuine second economy here, and the District has leaned into it. Trail networks, riverside campsites, a Visitor Centre on the highway, an annual visitor guide — the infrastructure of a destination rather than a waypoint.
You can see the investment in the details. An accessible dock went in at Irrigation Lake in 2025. A new playground is coming to Steelhead Park in summer 2026, and By-Mac Park on the Morice River is being redeveloped the same year with serviced campsites, washrooms and showers alongside its existing boat launch.
Much of the trail network, meanwhile, isn't municipal at all. It's maintained by volunteers, Houston Hikers, the Morice Mountain Nordic Ski Club, and the Houston Mountain Bike Association, who look after the downhill and snowshoe trails at Mount Harry Davis.
For anyone based in Smithers, Houston is close enough for a morning start and a late dinner at home which makes it one of the easiest day trips in the valley, and one of the most underused.
What Brings People Here
Rivers, Trails & a Very Large Fly Rod
A year-round destination, not a summer one
The Rivers
World-class fishing on the Morice and the Bulkley. By-Mac Park, 4 km west on Morice River Road, has a boat launch and riverside campsites.
The Trails
China Nose Mountain and Barrett Hat for the views, Houston Palisades and Old Pines for easy walking, Equity Ice Falls when it freezes.
The Parks
Steelhead Park and its fly rod, the Duck Pond viewing platform, Jamie Baxter's skate park and amphitheatre, and a sandy beach at Irrigation Lake.
More Than a Stop on Highway 16
Naturally Amazing
Every small town on a highway faces the same problem: being a place people pass rather than a place they stop. Houston has answered it by building outward from what it already had. Rivers people already travelled for, and forest already threaded with trails.
Why This Matters
A valley works better when its communities send visitors to each other. Someone staying in Smithers who spends a day on the Morice, or drives out to China Nose, comes away with a bigger picture of the Bulkley Valley than either town could give them alone.
Worth Knowing Before You Go
A few things that make the trip easier:
- The Houston Visitor Centre sits right on Highway 16 with maps, trail conditions and dining recommendations which open weekdays
- Trail conditions come from the volunteer clubs, not the District, check Houston Hikers, Morice Mountain Nordic or Ride Houston BC before heading out
- Winter is a full season here, with Nordic skiing at Morice Mountain and snowshoe trails at Mount Harry Davis
The fly rod is the photo everyone takes. The rivers, the ridgelines and the ski trails are the reason to come back.
Get in Touch
Visit Houston
Houston Visitor Centre
Address
3289 Highway 16
Houston, BC
Houston, BC
Hours
Monday – Friday
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
District of Houston
Municipal Office
3367 12th Street, PO Box 370
Houston, BC V0J 1Z0
Houston, BC V0J 1Z0
Make It a Day Trip
An hour southeast of Smithers, with rivers, ridgelines and a fly rod you can't miss from the highway.
