mackenzie & district museum

A traveler will pass by Mackenzie from the city of Prince George and on you way to Alaska, Chetwynd or Dawson Creek. But it takes an effort to enter this town. Only of you have time and you are curious, this town would be a good exploration. You have to enter Hwy. 39 to get into the town. At first glance, there's nothing much to see if you want to search for Mackenzie town..just woodlands and forests and not much a sign of human presence. There's wildlife all over, there are grizzlies you can see, if you're lucky and there would be a surprising moose crossing your path. Then your drive become an adventure seeing a group of cariboo running parallel to the road. During the drive, you can't avoid to worry because Hwy. 39 is isolated.Then suddenly, the town appears up on the valley. You'll pass the pulp mill road and some other small clearings. The hwy road is is smooth and paved very well. The town is quiet, pure air is what I smelled and a great getaway for city people like me. The city hall meets the visitor when you enter the town. Apparently Hwy. 39 appeared to be a dead end highway. There's a place called Gantahaz ( pronounced as Ga-na-haz). Where are the people during summer? going around the town, it seemed that they're also on vacation..out of town..must be why it's quiet. The museum shows its young history. I think about the 1970's and documents about the explorer Alexander Mackenzie. If you love history, like I do, it doesn't have to be a monumental history like the Roman empire to impress a visitor. The museum offers interesting artifacts, not the typical find in history books. It has the largest tree crusher in the world, on display at the entrance of the town. Overall, this town is good for people trying to get away from the bustling, stressful city life. I heard the snow and winter are harsh in that town but summer is good. I've been to this town several times, just stopping to search for wildlife and I would recommend it to people looking for a quiet summer. Take your RV if you have one and park near the District office where RV's are allowed to rent a spot. A good day trip.