The Yellowhead Highway – A Long, Glorious and Winding Route

The Yellowhead Highway spans all four western Canadian provinces. Its 3,000 kilometers include the small town of Masset, BC on the archipelago of Haida Gwaii in the West, the major city of Winnipeg MB in the east and the many towns, villages, and cities in between.

The Yellowhead Highway is entirely paved and mostly single-laned. The start of the highway, at Haida Gwaii, is level and narrow, with many curves as it winds its way through forested and somewhat hilly terrain. Crossing over to Prince Rupert, you can relax as someone else drives! The Prince Rupert to Jasper section is dramatic and mountainous, following river valleys (the Skeena is in particular beautiful) as they wind their way to the coast. From Hinton to Winnipeg, the landscape changes as the rivers, mountains, and forests give way to plains, gentle curves, and rolling hills.

Where does the Yellowhead Highway even start?

Labelled Highway 16 across all four provinces with its distinctive yellow head icon, it is sometimes referred to as the alternate Highway 1. It even has its own Wikipedia page. But look at these photos. There may be some dispute between Winnipeg and Masset as to where the start actually is.

Have you ever considered where Km (or Mile) 0 of the Yellowhead is? West or East? Click here

Where is the start of the Yellowhead?x

and share your opinion.

There are major cities on the Yellowhead Highway, such as Saskatoon, Edmonton, Prince George, Brandon, and Winnipeg. Smaller centres such as Terrace, Prince Rupert, Minnedosa, North Battleford, and Daajing Giids to name but a few, abound. All have something to offer, providing travelers with interesting stops, great campgrounds, amazing restaurants, and other wonderful things to do. This page documents some of those.

Do you have a favourite campground, restaurant, must-stop place, or activity on the Yellowhead Highway? Please share!

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Yellowhead Highway West

The westerm portion of the Yellowhead Highway begins on the island archipelago of Haida Guaii, and then continues on from Prince Rupert to Jasper National Park and on to Hinton Alberta. Read our longer article on Haida Guaii here, or skip right to the eastern Yellowhead description here. The portion of the western Yellowhead from Kitwanga to Prince George also forms part of the Great Northern Circle Route (marked in the map above in purple).

If You Go

All vehicles are suitable for the Yellowhead. There are many fuel stations, tire shops, campgrounds, and RV repair places, although the most westerly one we could find was in Smithers – you can’t get your RV repaired in either Prince Rupert or on Haida Gwaii itself. If you need RV supplies, the Walmart in Terrace had a huge selection, together with incredibly friendly and helpful staff. We stopped there for several hours as we stocked up for our trip north up the Stewart-Cassiar and eventually onto the Dempster.

Along the Way

Photographs of our journey on the western leg of the Yellowhead

Yellowhead Highway Campgrounds - Western Leg

There are a lot of campgrounds on this stretch of the Yellowhead, and we have identified most or all of them in our map, above. We’ve camped at quite a few as well, so for those we are able to provide insight and recommendations. The campgrounds are listed in this section from Hinton in the east to Massett in the west.

Hinton-Jasper KOA

The Hinton-Jasper KOA is a large campground with a variety of size options. One big plus is its reservations system, which is very easy to use and, if you can’t get the dates you want, lets you see the availability for all sites.

One negative is its distance from Jasper (if that’s where you want to visit) as it’s about 50 minutes east. We’d recommend Tete Jaune which is the same distance from Jasper to the west, but is close to a number of other places you are likely to want to visit.

Wildhorse Lake

Wildhorse Lake is a seasonal provincial campground with 19 unserviced drive-in sites and 3 walk-in tenting sites. Unclear if any of the drive-in sites are large enough for RVs.

Jasper, AB

There are four Parks Canada Jasper campgrounds on the Yellowhead: Miette, Snaring, Whistlers, and Wapiti. Neither Miette (140 non-serviced sites) nor Snaring (62 non-serviced sites) are large enough for motorhomes longer than 27′. Snaring doesn’t take reservations. Wapiti (40 winter sites, 363 serviced and un-serviced) is open year-round, but only takes reservations in the summer. Whistlers, at 782 serviced and un-serviced sites, is open from early May to early October.

These campgrounds are extremely busy in the summer – reservations are a must. Visit the Parks Canada Jasper website for more information and to make bookings.

We decided instead to stay at Tete Jaune, just west of Jasper, to provide more flexibility with our activities.

Tete Jaune Lodge, BC

Tete Jaune Lodge, just one hour west of Jasper, is reservable, has tenting sites, RV sites, cabins, and a small lodge as well as a cafeteria! Really nice. We liked Tete Jaune’s proximity to Jasper, to Valemount (20 minutes south) and to Mount Robson, 10 minutes east. Perfectly situated with no sense of being crowded.

This was our favourite western Yellowhead campground, for all the reasons listed above. It’s a definite recommend!

When we were there (August 2022), the cafeteria was closed due to staffing shortages. The Tete Jaune Lodge website (February 2023) still indicates the cafeteria is closed, so if that’s important to you, best give them a call. Or, you can simply visit Valemount’s or Jasper’s many eating establishments. We went to Jasper Pizza and loved its rooftop patio, great pizza (we had mushroom), craft beer, and ease of parking for our 34′ motorhome.

Vanderhoof Riverside Park Campground

Vanderhoof’s Riverside Park is a lovely place in a pretty little town. A municipal park, it has big open spaces, a river walk (where two of these photos were taken) and a large 38-site campground. You can make reservations, but we didn’t, chancing to luck. Fortunately we ran into the kindness of strangers (the park staff) when we got there. There was one site left which was in a bit of a mess from its previous tenants, but the staff scurried around and made sure the site was in clean condition for us. Thanks!

Fort Telkwa Riverfront RV Campground

The Fort Telkwa RV park is an RV-only park without washrooms and showers, although it does have laundry facilities and cable TV. Its RV spots are strung out on a high bank overlooking the Bulkley River, although there are about 10 spots on a road that descends to the river itself (see photo). There were a few sites that could be characterized as pull-thrus, but most of the sites require you to back in. The park’s chief advantage, aside from its large size, is its closeness to the Village of Telkwa (there is a walking path along the river) and the surrounding wilderness.

As of February 2023, this campground is closed as it is up for sale. You might want to try Tyhee Lake as an alternative.

Village of Telkwa

Telkwa is at the junction of the Telkwa and Bulkley Rivers and the many walking paths and bridges that cross these two rivers are very nice to see. The village has recently redone a long section of its riverbank and this is also very nice to walk on. When we visited, the restaurants in the village had reduced hours due to staffing shortages.

Tyhee Lake Provincial Park

This 60-site partially-reservable (20 sites can be reserved) campground is only a few kilometers from Telkwa Village and although there is only one drive-thru, many sites are clearly large enough for bigger rigs provided you can back in. There is a variety of 15 amp, 30 amp, and non-electrified sites. There are water taps throughout the park, but there is no water at the sites themselves. There is a dump-station in the park.

We didn’t stay there, but it looks like a really nice spot to spend a few days.

Kasiks Wilderness Campground

Kasiks is a 27-site unserviced campground in a beautiful setting on the lovely Skeena River. There are no drive-thru sites, but most are RV-ready, and many can handle rigs of 35′ or more. Their reservation system provides photos and descriptions of all, giving you a no-surprise way of booking. There are a few that are ‘attached’ to the site beside it, allowing for group/family camping. This portion of the Yellowhead has cellular service, and you can get Wifi at Kasiks in the office.

One item not usual in most campgrounds is the cafeteria, which serves coffee and sandwiches from 9:00 – 5:00 daily, and a hot meal from 11:00 to 3:00. Nice!

Also important: the Prince Rupert Ferry is only an hour’s drive from Kasiks. If you are going to Haida Gwaii, the morning sailings are 10:30, which easily allows you to arrive in time (9:00-9:30) to board the ferry.

Prudhomme Lake Provincial Park

Prudhomme Lake is a 24 site unserviced campground close to Prince Rupert. Similar to Kasiks, it’s unserviced, with 10 of its 24 sites reservable.

Only a 20 minute drive east of Prince Rupert, Prudhomme would be suitable for day trips to Port Edward, or to the many restaurants and sightseeing opportunities in Prince Rupert. And, it’s an easy drive to the ferry.

Prince Rupert RV Campground

The Prince Rupert campground is nicely situated about a 5 minute drive from the Prince Rupert Ferry. Its lower area borders the Moresby Trail walking area, which takes one along a nice stream and small lake. The trail is fenced off from the campground, but intrepid climbers can go over, or you can access this trail from a few places on the Yellowhead Highway as you walk north. The RV park has a laundry facility and washroom/showers. If you check the reviews for this place, they are mostly positive if you are placed in this lower area.

I, however, can’t recommend this park – it was dingy and messy. We agree with the reviewers who found the operators to be unhelpful or even – truth be told, downright nasty. When we got there the park was mostly empty, but we were crammed between two spots that were occupied by permanent residents. Between the garbage, uncut lawns, and crowded spaces we just generally felt unwelcome. As its the only RV park in Prince Rupert, you don’t have much choice, but if you can swing it, stay at Kasiks or Prudhomme Lake. We saw some people just stay the night in the parking lot or queued in the line at the ferry terminal itself.

Places to Stop/Things to Do/Restaurants on the western Yellowhead Highway

If you want a quiet place to stop and relax for a day or two, then any of these campgrounds fit the bill: Kasiks, Prudhomme, Tete Jaune, or Tyhee. If it’s good food and more “touristy” things you are interested in then consider Prince George or Prince Rupert. Good food? We’ve got that covered too: the Cow Bay area in Prince Rupert (which includes restaurants to the south of Cow Bay), the Riverhouse at the Aspen in Smithers, breakfast or coffee in McBride, or the amazing side trip to Ursa Minor Brewing Company. You’ll probably stop in Jasper – we recommend Jasper Pizza Place given how easy it was to park our motorhome nearby and for its amazing food.

Read on for more details on a few of these places.

Prince Rupert

We initially thought of Prince Rupert as a layover prior to taking the ferry to Haida Gwaii. How wrong we were! It’s a delightful city, in particular the tourist area of Cow Bay. There, we discovered a mecca of dining and sightseeing. Click here for our longer article on Prince Rupert.

Riverhouse Restaurant Smithers

One of our days staying at the Fort Telkwa RV campground took us to the Riverhouse Restaurant. We ate in the lounge, which had a nice fireplace, great service, craft beer, and at least when we were there, really excellent Swordfish! There are also south-facing tables outside, unfortunately full when we arrived.

Homestead Brewhouse, Vanderhoof

Homestead Brewhouse, a really nice sports pub, is tucked into the back of the Homestead Inn. We went to the Homestead as we wanted craft beer (and a sports pub), but the Tasty Tandoori and the Cozy Corner Pizzeria, both within walking distance from the Riverside Campground, were also recommended by campground staff.

McBride BC

McBride is a pretty little village on the Yellowhead Highway – as one of the photos acknowledges – that leans heavily on its heritage as a railway town. In particular, the original railway station has been converted to a wonderful little breakfast/lunch place, the Beanery 2 Bistro and the Whistlestop Gallery, home to many amazing artists.

It’s worth the time to drive in, walk around this village, and stop at the gallery and bistro.

Ursa Minor Brewing

This must-do two hour each way side trip between Burns Lake and Vanderhoof is well worth the time. Good food, free camping, a beautiful lake and craft beer await as you detour off the Yellowhead Highway and take the lovely road to Ootsa Lake and to the Ursa Minor Brewing Company.

Yellowhead Highway East

The eastern portion of the Yellowhead Highway runs from Hinton, Alberta to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Hinton marks a turning point in the highway as it is a markedly different journey from the western portion as the mountains and river valleys give way to prairie landscapes, rolling hills, and endless grain fields. This section also goes through the major cities Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.

If You Go

The eastern segment of the Yellowhead is significantly wider than the western, with portions close to and through the major cities being four-laned. Avoid the Yellowhead entirely in Edmonton as it is notoriously slow. Saskatoon’s portion of the Yellowhead is not as slow as Edmonton’s portion but coming from the north it can be tricky to make the correct turns to get on the Yellowhead Highway as there are merges with other highways and a critical left-hand turn that must be made to avoid a long detour.

Click here for our interactive map of the eastern Yellowhead to see campgrounds and points of interest along the way.