Peace River (Alberta)

Peace River is a town of about 7,000 people (2016) in the Peace Country region of Alberta.

Understand
The city sits on the banks of the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky River, the Heart River and Pat's Creek. The Peace River townsite is nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) below the relatively flat terrain surrounding it. There are various First Nations (Aboriginal) communities to the northeast, French-Canadian farming communities to the south and to the east, and Mennonite and Hutterite German-Canadian farming communities to the north and northwest of the town.

The Government of Alberta is the largest employer in the town, with over 15 government departments within its municipal boundaries. It is followed in close second by resource extraction, principally forestry, agriculture, oil and gas and their support services.

The Town of Peace River is close to the Peace River Oil Sands, Alberta's 3rd largest oil sands deposit.

An ancient Beaver First Nation legend says: "Drink the water of the Peace River and you will return."



Climate
The Peace River area generally has low year-round precipitation. Its dry climate, which results in reduced humidity, causes the summer heat and winter cold feel less severe than in places with higher humidity.

Due to cold air drainage, the river valley is often completely filled with stratus and fog while outside the valley is clear. The fog usually clears in a few hours. Winds in town are channeled along the Peace River valley (towards the northeast or southwest) while winds outside the valley are quite variable.

Winters are often cold enough to see the formation of an ice cover on the Peace River from January to late March or early April. Summer frequently features thunderstorms that are preceded with persistent winds and occasionally produce small grain-sized hail. Tornadoes and severe winds are a rarity in the Peace River area.

Regardless of the season, when there is daylight out, Peace River will usually have sunny skies. There is on average 2,060 hours of sunshine every year.

By car
Peace River is northwest of Edmonton, and  northeast of Grande Prairie, along Highway 2. It is about five hours drive northwest of Edmonton and 2½ hours northeast of Grande Prairie. Highway 35 (part of the Mackenzie Highway) comes in from Northwest Territories and intersects Highway 2 about 21 km west of Peace River. Highway 43 from British Columbia and Alaska.

Peace River can be accessed via Highway 2 from Edmonton, or by travelling Highway 43 to Valleyview then Highway 49 – the latter is a faster and shorter route.

By bus
Operates a bus route between Peace River and Edmonton including stops in High Prairie, Slave Lake, and Westlock. Travel time to Edmonton from Peace River is 5.75 hours. Operates several days per week.

Northern Express service from Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and High Level, is suspended as of Jan 2021.

Get around
Peace River no longer has public transit.