Canada
Bella Coola
A Nuxalk village at the foot of a highway so steep they call it Freedom Road.
Highway 20 descends from the Chilcotin Plateau into the Bella Coola Valley at an 18% grade — one of the steepest paved highways in North America. Locals call it the Freedom Road. At the bottom, a Nuxalk village has stood for over 10,000 years.
Bella Coola sits in a deep valley on British Columbia's central coast, home to the Nuxalk Nation for at least 10,000 years — their oral histories describe the last Ice Age. The Freedom Road was built by local volunteers in the 1950s after the provincial government refused to connect the valley, and the precipitous descent remains one of the most dramatic approaches to any community in Canada. Grizzly bear viewing in the valley is among the best in BC, with bears fishing for salmon in rivers just outside the village. Eulachon (candlefish) grease, rendered by Nuxalk families using ancient smokehouses, was once so valuable it served as the currency of the prehistoric Grease Trail trade route.
Solo
Driving the Freedom Road alone, watching grizzlies fish from a riverbank, and learning Nuxalk history in one of BC's most isolated valleys — Bella Coola rewards the solo traveller who values depth over convenience.
Friends
A group road trip down the Freedom Road, with grizzly watching and Nuxalk cultural experiences in the valley, creates a shared adventure that most BC residents don't even know exists.
Couple
The dramatic drive, the grizzly encounters, and the 10,000-year Nuxalk cultural presence create an experience for couples that is as intellectually rich as it is visually dramatic.
- The Freedom Road (Highway 20) descends from the Chilcotin Plateau at an 18% grade — one of the steepest paved highways in North America.
- Nuxalk Nation has lived in the Bella Coola Valley for over 10,000 years — their oral histories describe the last Ice Age.
- Grizzly bear viewing in the Bella Coola Valley is among the best in BC — bears fish for salmon in rivers just outside the village.
- Eulachon (candlefish) grease rendered by Nuxalk families was so valuable it was the currency of the prehistoric Grease Trail trade route.
Eulachon grease — rendered from candlefish by Nuxalk families using ancient smokehouses.
Wild Pacific salmon grilled over an open fire at the valley's fishing lodges.
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