The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner

Population: 5,055

Fort Nelson is located at Historical Mile 300 of the Alaska Highway, 283 miles north of Dawson Creek, BC, and 330 miles southeast of Watson Lake, YT.

Visitor information:
Town of Fort Nelson, Bag Service 399, Fort Nelson, BC V0C 1R0; phone (250) 774-6400; (email).

Fort Nelson was established in 1805 by the North West Fur Trading Co. The current town site occupies what was the fifth fort site established by the Hudson’s Bay Co. The Canadian government constructed an airport in 1941, as part of the Northwest Air Staging Route. Construction of the Alaska Highway followed in 1942, with about 2,000 soldiers bivouacked in Fort Nelson. The community grew in the 1940s and 1950s as a service centre for regional development and Alaska Highway travelers. Today, forestry, oil and gas are major industries here.

All visitor services are available in Fort Nelson, with lodging at numerous hotels/motels including the Woodlands Inn & Suites, Ramada Limited (email) and Blue Bell Inn, and dining at Dan's Neighborhood Pub (phone 250/774-3929), Mag & Mels Dixie Lee (phone (250/774-7071), Mama & Papa's Cafe (phone 250/774-6090), and the Triple "G" Hideaway and other local restaurants. Camping at the Triple "G" Hideaway (email). There are full-service gas stations; grocery and health food outlets; laundromats; auto supply stores, the Ye Olde Quilt Shoppe (email) and department stores. There are 2 banks, a post office, liquor store, library and several churches.

Fort Nelson Map

Attractions:

Fort Nelson Heritage Museum (phone 250/774-3536) has excellent displays of pioneer artifacts and one of the most impressive collections of antique cars in British Columbia.
A big parade is part of the Canada Day celebration on July 1st.
Fort Nelson’s Skateboard Park, located next to the Recreation Centre, is a popular attraction.
Play golf at Poplar Hills Golf and Country Club, just north of town on the Old Alaska Highway.