Highway 16 is a highway in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. It is an important section of the

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...

, a part of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...

that runs across

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

. The highway closely follows the path of the northern B.C. alignment of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

. The number "16" was first given to the highway in 1941, and originally, the route that the highway took was more to the north of today's highway, and it was not as long as it is now. Highway 16 originally ran from

New Hazelton New Hazelton is a district municipality on Highway 16 in northwest British Columbia, Canada. It is situated northeast of Terrace and northwest of Smithers and in 2016 had a population of 580 people, a decrease of 12.9% comparing to 2011. New H ...

east to Aleza Lake. In 1947, Highway 16's western end was moved from New Hazelton to the coastal city of

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...

, and in 1953, the highway was re-aligned to end at Prince George. In 1969, further alignment east into

Yellowhead Pass The Yellowhead Pass is a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas in the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the provincial boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and lies within Jasper Nat ...

was opened to traffic after being constructed up through 1968 and raised to all-weather standards in 1969. Highway 16's alignment on

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Hecat ...

was commissioned in 1983 and is connected to the mainland segment via

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry ...

route #11. A series of murders and disappearances has given the stretch between Prince Rupert and Prince George the name

Highway of Tears The Highway of Tears is a corridor of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada, which has been the location of many disappearances and murders beginning in 1970. The phrase was coined during a vigil held ...

Route description

Haida Gwaii section

The segment of the BC highway begins in the west in the village of

Masset Masset , formerly ''Massett'', is a village in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Masset Sound on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Col ...

, on the northern coast of

Graham Island Graham Island () is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), lying off the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other pri ...

. Proceeding south, the highway goes to the inlet town of

Port Clements Port Clements is an incorporated village situated at the east end of Masset Inlet in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) off the coast of the Province of British Columbia in Canada. Known as Gamadiis in Haida language, HlG̱aagil ...

. Winding its way along the boundary of

Naikoon Provincial Park Naikoon Provincial Park is a provincial park on northeastern Graham Island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago, British Columbia, Canada. It is the ancestral home of the Gwak'rala'chala people, one of the many tribes that form the native group Haida. W ...

, Highway 16 goes south for before reaching the community of

Tlell Tlell is a small, unincorporated area on the east coast of Graham Island, which is part of Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) in British Columbia, Canada. History Besides Mexican Tom, who set up camp at Tlell in 1904, Eric Richa ...

. south of Tlell, Highway 16 reaches

Skidegate Skidegate ( hai, Hlg̱aagilda) is a Haida community in in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southeast coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia across He ...

, where its Haida Gwaii section terminates.

Mainland section

BC Ferries then takes Highway 16 across the

Hecate Strait , image = HecateStrait(PittIsland).JPG , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = Hecate Strait and Pitt Island , image_bathymetry = Loc-QCS-Hecate-Dixon.png , alt_bathymetry = , caption ...

for due northeast to its landing at Prince Rupert. left, upright=1.1, Highway 16 heading west towards Prince Rupert from Terrace From Prince Rupert, Highway 16 begins its winding route east through the Coast Mountain Ranges. Following the

Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose n ...

, the highway travels for to the city of

Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

. Highway 37 merges onto Highway 16 from north of Highway 16, at the

Kitwanga Kitwanga or Gitwangak or Gitwangax ("people of the place of rabbits" in the Gitxsan language) is located where the Kitwanga River runs into the Skeena River in British Columbia. A long-standing village before contact, the village is within Gi ...

junction. Another northeast, Highway 16 reaches New Hazelton, where it then veers southeast along the

Bulkley River The Bulkley River in British Columbia is a major tributary of the Skeena River. The Bulkley is long with a drainage basin covering . Much of the Bulkey is paralleled by Highway 16. It flows west from Bulkley Lake past Perow and is joined near ...

. later, the highway reaches the town of

Smithers Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related. People *Alan Smithers (born 1938), ...

, proceeding southeast another to the village of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

At Houston, Highway 16 begins a parallel course along the upper course of the

, proceeding east to its junction with

Highway 35 The following highways are numbered 35: International * European route E35 Canada * Alberta Highway 35 * British Columbia Highway 35 * Ontario Highway 35 * Quebec Autoroute 35 *Saskatchewan Highway 35 China * G35 Expressway Costa Rica * N ...

, south of

Burns Lake Burns Lake is a rural village in the North-western-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, incorporated in 1923. The village had a population of 1,779 as of the 2016 Census. The village is known for its rich First Nations heritage, and ...

. east, after passing through the hamlet of

Fraser Lake Fraser Lake is a village in northern British Columbia, Canada. It's located on the southwest side of Fraser Lake between Burns Lake and Vanderhoof alongside the Yellowhead Highway. The small community's population is primarily employed by eithe ...

, Highway 16 reaches its junction with

Highway 27 Route 27, or Highway 27, may refer to: Australia * Burke Developmental Road (Queensland) * Zeehan Highway (Tasmania) Canada * Alberta Highway 27 * British Columbia Highway 27 * Manitoba Highway 27 * Prince Edward Island Route 27 * Saskatchewan ...

in the town of Vanderhoof. east of Vanderhoof, Highway 16 reaches its B.C. midpoint as it enters the city of Prince George at its junction with

Highway 97 Route 97, or Highway 97, may refer to: Australia - Olympic Dam Highway, South Australia Canada * British Columbia Highway 97 ** British Columbia Highway 97A ** British Columbia Highway 97B ** British Columbia Highway 97C ** British Columb ...

. Highway 16 leaves Prince George after coursing through the city for . east of Prince George, Highway 16 reaches the community of Dome Creek, where it converges with the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

and turns southeast. It follows the Fraser River upstream for to McBride, then continues upstream for another to its junction with

Highway 5 Route 5, or Highway 5, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highway 5 * European route E05 * European route E005 Argentina * National Route 5 Australia New South Wales * M5 Motorway (Sydney) * The De ...

Tête Jaune Cache Tête, head in French, may refer to : * ''Tête'' (sculpture), a 1912 work of art by Amedeo Modigliani; one of the most expensive sculptures ever sold * "Je danse dans ma tête", a 1991 song from the Dion chante Plamondon album by Céline Dion * ...

. east of Tête Jaune Cache, Highway 16 enters

Mount Robson Provincial Park Mount Robson Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian Rockies with an area of 2,249 km². The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park in Alberta. The B.C. legislature created the park in 19 ...

, coursing through the park for to the boundary between British Columbia and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

within Yellowhead Pass.

Highway of Tears

The Highway of Tears is a stretch of Highway 16 between Prince George and

. Since 1970, numerous women have gone missing or have been murdered along the section of highway. Aboriginal organizations speculate that number ranges above forty. In 2016, the Canadian government launched the

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women , image=Justin Trudeau speech on missing and murdered indigenous women – Ottawa, October 2016.jpg, caption=Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, speaking on missing and murdered Indigenous women in front of Parliament in Ottawa, 2016., budget ...

after communicating with victim families. This was done to find methods of slowing the violence within the Indigenous population. In September 2020 a

totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually m ...

honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women was raised on the highway just outside

Major intersections

From west to east, the following intersections are observed along Highway 16. Distances exclude the ferry between Skidegate and Prince Rupert.

References

External links

Official Numbered Routes in British ColumbiaTravel BC Yellowhead Highway information

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