Chetwynd

Chetwynd is a small town of 2,500 (2016) in the Peace Country and Northern Rockies region of British Columbia. It acts as the gateway to the Peace River Country. Chetwynd has dozens of chainsaw carvings displayed throughout town as public art. It is home to a Northern Lights College campus. Nearby, there are four provincial parks, two lakes, and several recreational trails.

Understand
Chetwynd is a district municipality in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia. Situated on an ancient floodplain, it is the first town eastbound travellers encounter after emerging from the Rockies along Highway 97. The town developed during the construction of infrastructure through the Rocky Mountains in the 1950s, and was used as a transshipment point during the construction of hydroelectric dams in the 1960s and 1970s and the new town of Tumbler Ridge in the early 1980s. The town's population has increased little if at all since the 1980s but is significantly younger than the provincial average.

Once known as Little Prairie, the community adopted its current name in honour of provincial politician Ralph L.T. Chetwynd, just prior to its incorporation in 1962. The 64-km² (25 sq mi) municipality consists of the town, a community forest, and four exclave properties.



By car
Highways 29 and 97 intersect in Chetwynd; the John Hart Highway portion of Highway 97 runs east-west through town, connecting Dawson Creek east and Prince George  south. Highway 29 (Don Philips Way) runs north-south through Chetwynd, connecting to Hudson's Hope north and Tumbler Ridge  southeast.

Get around
The downtown core lies just west of the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 29. Chetwynd's internal street network uses the highway as its main arterial road with parallel frontage roads for local trips. There is no public transit.

Do
Chetwynd has a large indoor rodeo facility, an outdoor speed skating oval, and a general recreation complex with an ice arena, wave pool, six-lane curling rink, two baseball diamonds, and a skateboard park. It has a rock climbing wall, indoor walking track and fitness centre. For outdoor recreation, a community forest on Mount Baldy provides residents with trails for walking, hiking, cycling, and cross-country skiing.



Go next
Continue to the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek.