British Columbia Highway 97

Highway 97
Okanagan Highway Cariboo Highway John Hart Highway Alaska Highway
Route information
Length:	2,081 km (1,293 mi)
Existed:	1953 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 97 at the Canada–United States border near Osoyoos
	BC 3 in Osoyoos BC 3A in Kaleden BC 97C in Peachland BC 33 in Kelowna BC 6 in Vernon BC 97A in Spallumcheen BC 1 in Monte Creek BC 5 in Kamloops BC 1 in Cache Creek BC 99 near Cache Creek BC 24 in 93 Mile House BC 20 in Williams Lake BC 26 in Quesnel BC 16 in Prince George BC 29 in Chetwynd BC 2 in Dawson Creek BC 29 in Charlie Lake BC 77 near Fort Nelson
North end:	Hwy 1 at the Yukon border
Location
Districts:	Summerland, Peachland, Lake Country, 100 Mile House, Chetwynd, Taylor
Major cities:	Penticton, West Kelowna, Kelowna, Vernon, Kamloops, Williams Lake, Quesnel, Prince George, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John
Towns:	Osoyoos, Oliver, Cache Creek, Fort Nelson
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways ← BC 95A BC 97A →

Highway 97 is the longest continuously numbered route in the Canadian province of British Columbia (and the longest provincial highway in any province), running 2,081 km (1,293 mi) from the Canada–United States border near Osoyoos in the south to the British Columbia/Yukon boundary in the north at Watson Lake, Yukon. The route takes its number from U.S. Route 97, with which it connects at the international border. The highway was initially designated '97' in 1953.

Route description

Okanagan Highway

Okanagan Highway passing through Lake Country, north of Kelowna

The Okanagan Highway is a 189 km (117 mi) section of Highway 97 between the international border and the junction of Highway 97A north of Vernon. It is named for the Okanagan region of British Columbia, through which it largely passes. It begins in the south at the international border crossing north of Oroville, and travels 4 km (2.5 mi) north to its junction with the Crowsnest Highway at Osoyoos. The highway travels north for 47 km (29 mi), passing through the Testalinden Creek Landslide and the communities of Oliver and Okanagan Falls. From Okanagan Falls, Highway 97 runs near the western shore of Skaha Lake before arriving at the locality of Kaleden, where Highway 3A diverges west.

13 km (8.1 mi) north of Kaleden, Highway 97 arrives at the city of Penticton. North of Penticton, Highway 97 follows the western shore of Okanagan Lake for 45 km (28 mi), through the communities of Summerland and Peachland, before reaching its junction with Highway 97C just south of Westbank. From there, Highway 97 passes through West Kelowna and reserve lands belonging to the Westbank First Nation until, 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of the 97C junction, Highway 97 begins to cross Okanagan Lake via the William R. Bennett Bridge. The highway enters the city of Kelowna upon landfall on the east shore of the lake. 6 km (3.7 mi) east into the city centre, the highway reaches its junction with Highway 33. As the Okanagan is a highly popular travel destination and also has the highest population in inland B.C. (about 300,000), this section of highway 97 is by far the busiest. Congestion is frequent - particularly near the William Bennet Bridge, and Southbound towards West Kelowna.

Four kilometres (2½ mi) north of the Highway 33 junction, Highway 97 leaves the urbanized area of Kelowna (the municipal boundary is actually a further 12 km, 7 mi, north). For the next 43 km (27 mi), the route travels well east of Okanagan Lake, passing through the community of Winfield. Prior to 2013, the highway ran alongside the west shore of Wood Lake to Oyama. A new 9 km (5.6 mi) section of four-lane highway was constructed and opened to traffic at that time, which bypasses Oyama entirely to the north. The original section of the highway skirting the western shore of Wood Lake is now known as Pelmewash Parkway. Both Oyama and Winfield lie within the municipality of Lake Country.

Highway 97 then passes along the west shore of Kalamalka Lake before entering the city of Vernon and a junction with Highway 6 just south of the city centre. The highway then travels north for 10 km (6.2 mi) to a junction with Highway 97A near Swan Lake.

Vernon-Kamloops-Cache Creek

This diagram illustrates the wrong-way concurrency between Highways 5 and 97 through Kamloops. Example of road sign​

Highway 97 continues northwest from Highway 97A for 81 km (50 mi), past the town of Falkland, before it merges onto the Trans-Canada Highway at Monte Creek, and is known as the Vernon-Monte Creek Highway. The highway follows Highway 1 for 105 km (65 mi) west to Cache Creek. As it travels westward, Highways 1 and 97 parallel the Thompson River, passing through the city of Kamloops, where the route shares a 12 km (7.5 mi) wrong-way concurrency with Highway 5 (signed as 97 North and 5 South and vice versa) and intersects Highway 5A.

Cariboo Highway

The Cariboo Highway section of Highway 97, between Cache Creek and Prince George, is 441 km (274 mi) in length and named for the Cariboo region, through which it travels. Much of its length as far as Quesnel follows approximately the route of the original Cariboo Wagon Road, which was also known as the Queen's Highway. The Cariboo Wagon Road's lower stretches between Yale and Cache Creek were severed in many places by the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s. That section, now part of the Trans-Canada, was rebuilt in the 1920s, when the name Cariboo Highway was first applied to the route, a designation which ran from Yale to Prince George, British Columbia (where portions of the route survive as the Old Cariboo Highway). Today the Cariboo Highway designation begins at Cache Creek, veering north for 11 km (6.8 mi) to its junction with Highway 99. North of Highway 99, Highway 97 travels 92 km (57 mi) through Clinton, where the British Columbia Railway begins to roughly parallel Highway 97, as well as through the community of 70 Mile House before reaching a junction at 93 Mile House with Highway 24 (the Interlakes Highway).

Over the 100 km (62 mi) of road north of Highway 24, Highway 97 travels through 100 Mile House and 150 Mile House before reaching the city of Williams Lake and a junction with Highway 20, which runs west across the Chilcotin District to Bella Coola on the Central Coast. Over the next 120 km (75 mi) continuing generally northward, the highway passes through McLeese Lake and Marguerite. En route, Highway 97 follows the east bank of the Fraser River to the city of Quesnel, and a junction with Highway 26. Over the next 115 km (71 mi) north of Quesnel, after passing through the hamlets of Strathnaver, Hixon, Stoner and Red Rock, Highway 97 meets its junction with Highway 16 at Prince George. North of here, the highway veers away from the Fraser River, and the British Columbia Railway veers northwestward from it.

The term Cariboo Highway originally applied to the reconstructed route from Hope through the Fraser Canyon to Cache Creek and Prince George. Constructed in 1924-25, the new gravel toll highway opened in 1926, giving road access to canyon communities cut off since the destruction of parts of the Cariboo Road by construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s. The Cariboo Highway designation for the Fraser Canyon portion of the route was supplanted with the completion and naming of the Trans-Canada Highway c.-1962. Portions of the old highway survive as local streets, some carrying the name Old Cariboo Highway (as in Prince George).

John Hart Highway

The John Hart Highway

This 405 km-long (252 mi) stretch of Highway 97, named for former British Columbia Premier John Hart, begins at Prince George, travelling for 152 km (94 mi) north through the small hamlet of Summit Lake, which is situated at the Continental Divide, as well as through Crooked River Provincial Park, Bear Lake and McLeod Lake, to its intersection with Highway 39. It then journeys northeast another 150 km (93 mi) through the Continental Divide, at which point the time zone changes from Pacific Time to Mountain Time. After emerging from the Pine Pass, the highway generally follows the Pine River northeast to its intersection with Highway 29 at the town of Chetwynd. After a trek of another 97 km (60 mi) east, the Hart Highway terminates at Dawson Creek.

Alaska Highway

This northernmost section of Highway 97 is 965 km (600 mi) long, and travels north through largely unpopulated wilderness, intersecting the communities of Fort St. John and Fort Nelson, the latter being just east of the junction of Highway 77, travelling north to the Northwest Territories. Here, the highway veers generally northwestward into wilderness spotted with tiny localities. As it passes over the Rocky Mountains, the highway parallels the Liard River before terminating just over the BC/Yukon boundary at Watson Lake, where the Alaska Highway is numbered as Yukon Highway 1.

Major intersections

From south to north:^[1][2]

Regional district	Location	km[3]	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Continues as US 97 south – Oroville, Omak, Wenatchee, Ellensburg
Okanagan-Similkameen	​	0.00	0.00	Canada–United States border Okanagan Highway segment begins
	Osoyoos	4.50	2.80		BC 3 (Crowsnest Highway) – Grand Forks, Castlegar, Princeton, Hope, Vancouver	Former south end of BC 3A concurrency.
	Oliver	24.53	15.24		Fairview Road
	Okanagan Falls	45.60	28.33		9th Avenue Main Street	BC 97 branches west, then turns north.
	Kaleden	51.67	32.11		BC 3A west – Keremeos, Princeton, Vancouver	Former north end of BC 3A concurrency.
	Penticton	59.84	37.18		Airport Road – Penticton Regional Airport
		60.41	37.54		Skaha Lake Road Channel Parkway	BC 97 branches north.
		63.35	39.36		Fairview Road, Green Mountain Road – Apex Mountain Resort
		65.19	40.51		Eckhardt Avenue – Naramata Vess Drive	BC 97 branches west.
		66.04	41.04		Westminster Avenue	BC 97 turns north west of Westminster Ave.
	​	66.82	41.52		Burnaby Avenue
	Summerland	75.38	46.84		Johnson Road
		80.03	49.73		Prairie Valley Road, Solly Road
		80.98	50.32		Rosedale Avenue
Central Okanagan	Peachland	101.81	63.26		Princeton Avenue, Beach Avenue
		103.91	64.57		Ponderossa Drive, 13th Street
		104.25	64.78		Clements Crescent
		109.01	67.74		BC 97C west (Okanagan Connector) – Merritt, Hope, Vancouver	Drought Hill interchange
	West Kelowna	111.14	69.06		Glenrosa Road	Glenrosa Road interchange BC 97 turns east
		112.64	69.99	West end of one-way couplets
		113.01	70.22		Elliott Road
		113.41	70.47		Old Okanagan Highway
		113.66	70.63	East end of one-way couplets
	Westbank First Nation	113.83	70.73		Gosset Road, Gellatly Road
		114.59	71.20		Butt Road
		117.31	72.89		Daimler Drive
	West Kelowna	118.97	73.92		Ross Road
		119.81	74.45		Westlake Road, Hudson Road	Interchange proposed[4]
	Westbank First Nation	121.69	75.61		Boucherie Road, Horizon Drive	Interchange proposed[4]
		119.81	74.45		Hudson Road, Westside Road	Westside Road interchange
		124.33	77.26		Campbell Road	Campbell Road interchange
	↑ / ↓	124.74– 125.81	77.51– 78.17	William R. Bennett Bridge across Okanagan Lake
	Kelowna	126.32	78.49		Abbot Street	West end of Harvey Avenue
		126.56	78.64	West end of HOV lanes[5]
					Pandosy Street, Water Street
		126.75	78.76		Ellis Street
		127.11	78.98		Richter Street
		127.53	79.24		Ethel Street
		127.94	79.50		Gordon Drive
		128.77	80.01		Burch Road
		129.58	80.52		Spall Road
		130.40	81.03		Cooper Road
		130.82	81.29		Dilworth Drive	East end of Harvey Avenue BC 97 turns northeast.
		131.51	81.72		Leckie Road
		132.36	82.24		BC 33 east – Big White Ski Resort, Rock Creek
				East end of HOV lanes[5]
		133.16	82.74		Enterprise Way, Leathead Road
		133.93	83.22		McCurdy Road
		136.38	84.74		Sexsmith Road, Old Vernon Road	BC 97 turns north.
		138.19	85.87		John Hindle Drive – UBC Okanagan	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		139.08	86.42		University Way – UBC Okanagan	No northbound exit
		140.31	87.18		Airport Way – Kelowna International Airport	Interchange proposed[6]
		146.85	91.25		Commonwealth Road
	Lake Country	148.29	92.14		Beaver Lake Road, Glenmore Road
		149.95	93.17		Pollard Road
		149.33	92.79		Berry Road
		152.17	94.55		Woodsdale Road, Oceola Road
		152.67	94.86		Pelmewash Parkway	Wood Lake interchange Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		160.51	99.74		Pelmewash Parkway, Gatzke Road	Gatzke Road interchange
North Okanagan	Vernon	176.27	109.53		College Way, Clerke Road – Coldstream
		178.17	110.71		16th Avenue	South end of 32nd Street.
		179.34	111.44		BC 6 east / 25th Avenue – Lumby, Nakusp, Nelson
		179.34	111.44		30th Avenue
		179.52	111.55		32nd Avenue
		180.05	111.88		39th Avenue
		181.44	112.74		48th Avenue – Silver Star Mountain Resort	North end of 32nd Street.
		183.02	113.72		27th Street	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
	Spallumcheen Township	188.97	117.42		BC 97A north – Armstrong, Enderby, Salmon Arm, Sicamous	Swan Lake interchange BC 97 branches west
				Okanagan Highway segment ends • Vernon-Monte Creek Highway segment begins
		194.64	120.94		Westside Road
Columbia-Shuswap	Falkland	224.31	139.38		Chase-Falkland Road
Thompson-Nicola	Monte Creek	269.71	167.59	399	BC 1 east (Trans-Canada Highway) – Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, Banff, Calgary	Hwy 97 interchange East end of BC 1 concurrency
				Vernon-Monte Creek Highway segment ends • BC 97 south exits freeway using Exit 399.
		271.74	168.85	396[lower-roman 1] 397[lower-roman 2]	Hook Road	Hook Road interchange
	Kamloops	278.29	172.92	390[lower-roman 1] 391[lower-roman 2]	Lafarge Road	Tumbleweed interchange
		281.98	175.21	386[lower-roman 1] 388[lower-roman 2]	Kokanee Way	Kokanee Way interchange
		286.65	178.12	384	Kipp Road, Dallas Drive, Barnhartvale Road	Nina Place/Kipp Road interchange Westbound exit and entrance
		287.05	178.36	384	Kipp Road, Dallas Drive, Barnhartvale Road	Eastbound right-in/right-out
		289.84	180.10		Grand Boulevard
		290.70	180.63		Tanager Road
		291.65	181.22		River Road
		292.39	181.68		Highland Road
		293.20	182.19		Oriole Road
		294.03	182.70		Vicars Road
		269.71	167.59	East end of freeway
				375	Battle Street – City Centre	Valleyview interchange No eastbound exit
		295.71	183.75	374	BC 5 north (South Yellowhead Highway) – Sun Peaks, Clearwater, Jasper, Edmonton	Yellowhead interchange East end of BC 1 / BC 5 concurrency
		299.20	185.91	370	Summit Drive – City Centre	Springhill interchange Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		300.13	186.49	369	Columbia Street – City Centre	Sagebrush interchange Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		301.08	187.08	368	BC 5A south / Hillside Way – Merritt	Sagebrush interchange
		301.87	187.57	367	Pacific Way	Pacific Way interchange
		303.55	188.62	366	Copperhead Drive, Lac le Jeune Road	Copperhead interchange
		307.78	191.25	362	BC 5 south (Coquihalla Highway) – Merritt, Hope, Vancouver	Afton interchange West end of BC 1 / BC 5 concurrency BC 1 concurrency continues
				West end of freeway • BC 1 west / BC 97 north exits freeway using Exit 362.
	Savona	339.08	210.69		Savona Access Road
		343.29	213.31		Savona Access Road
	​	343.74	213.59	Savona Bridge (Kamloops Lake Bridge) across Thompson River
	Cache Creek	379.77	235.98		BC 1 south (Trans-Canada Highway) – Lytton, Spences Bridge, Hope, Vancouver BC 97C south – Ashcroft, Logan Lake, Merritt, Kelowna	West end of BC 1 concurrency BC 97 branches north
				Caribou Highway segment begins
	​	390.79	242.83		BC 99 south (Duffy Lake Road) – Lillooet, Whistler, Vancouver
	Clinton	419.36	260.58		Kelly Lake Road
Cariboo	93 Mile House	483.10	300.18		BC 24 east (Interlakes Highway) – Little Fort
	100 Mile House	491.57	305.45		Horse Lake Road, Alpine Avenue
		492.53	306.04		1st Street
		492.92	306.29		Exter Station Road
	Lac La Hache	510.53	317.23		Spring Lake Road
	150 Mile House	568.44	353.21		Likely Road
	Williams Lake	582.63	362.03		BC 20 west (Chilcotin-Bella Coola Highway) – Alexis Creek, Bella Coola Oliver Street	BC 97 branches north.
		583.94	362.84		Carson Drive
		587.14	364.83		Mackenzie Avenue
	Red Bluff	695.62	432.24		Maple Drive
		696.41	432.73		Cedar Avenue, Larch Avenue
	Quesnel	699.43	434.61		Northstar Road	Northstar Road interchange
		700.22	435.10	Quesnel River Bridge across Quesnel River
		701.25	435.74		Carson Avenue, Moffat Approach – Nazko	BC 97 branches west.
		701.80	436.08		Front Street	BC 97 branches north.
		706.93	439.27		BC 26 east (Barkerville Highway) / Airport Road – Quesnel Airport, Wells, Barkerville
Fraser-Fort George	​	809.32	502.89		To BC 16 east / Old Cariboo Highway – Prince George Airport, McBride, Jasper
	Prince George	813.95	505.77		Sintich Road
		814.84	506.32		Boundary Road	Proposed BC 16 bypass[7]
		817.72	508.11		Terminal Boulevard
		818.70	508.72		Railway Road
		700.22	435.10	Simon Fraser Bridge across Fraser River
		819.72	509.35		Queensway, Ferry Avenue	Grade separated.
		821.04	510.17		BC 16 (Yellowhead Highway) – Terrace, Prince Rupert, Jasper, Edmonton
				Caribou Highway segment ends • John Hart Highway segment begins
		821.74	510.61		Massey Drive, Pine Centre Road	Massey Drive interchange
		822.26	510.93		22nd Avenue
		823.00	511.39		15th Avenue
		823.56	511.74		10th Avenue
		824.14	512.10		5th Avenue
		824.77	512.49	John Hart Bridge across Nechako River
		825.32	512.83		North Nechako Road	North Nechako Road interchange
		827.90	514.43		Northwood Pulpmill Road
		832.00	516.98		Monterey Road
		833.57	517.96		Austin Road
		834.64	518.62		Handlen Road
		835.51	519.16		Chief Lake Road
	​	977.42	607.34		BC 39 north (Mackenzie Highway) – Mackenzie
↑ / ↓	​	1,015.72	631.14	Pine Pass – el. 933 m (3,061 ft)
Peace River	Chetwynd	1,125.54	699.38		BC 29 north (Don Phillips Way) / 50th Street SW – W. A. C. Bennett Dam, Hudson's Hope, Fort St. John	West end of BC 29 concurrency
	​	1,128.46	701.19		BC 29 south (Don Phillips Way) – Tumbler Ridge	East end of BC 29 concurrency
	Dawson Creek	1,223.94	760.52		Dangerous Goods Route, Road 94 – Fort St. John, Pouce Coupe	Dawson Creek bypass
		1,225.37	761.41		BC 2 east to BC 49 – Spirit River, Pouce Coupe, Grande Prairie, Edmonton	BC 97 branches northwest
				John Hart Highway segment ends • Alaska Highway segment begins
		1,227.73	762.88		Road 94 – Pouce Coupe, Prince George	Dawson Creek bypass
	​	1,278.85	794.64	Taylor Bridge across Peace River
	Taylor	1,280.85	795.88		Pine Avenue
	​	1,287.95	800.30		Road 255 – North Peace Regional Airport
	Fort St. John	1,296.95	805.89		92A Street, 93rd Street, 85th Avenue
		1,297.04	805.94		100th Street – Cecil Lake, Fairview
		1,298.88	807.09		100th Avenue, Old Fort Road
	​	1,300.87	808.32		Road 269
	​	1,302.79	809.52		Road 271
	Charlie Lake	1,305.00	810.89		Old Hope Road
	​	1,309.56	813.72		BC 29 south (Don Phillips Way) – W. A. C. Bennett Dam, Hudson's Hope, Chetwynd
	Wonowon	1,384.94	860.56		Historical mile post 101
Northern Rockies R.M.	Fort Nelson	1,678.20	1,042.79		50 Street, Liard Street
	​	1,706.52	1,060.38		BC 77 north (Liard Highway) – Fort Liard, Fort Simpson
	​	1,819.57	1,130.63	Summit Pass – 1,267 m (4,157 ft)
	​	1,877.00– 1,959.89	1,166.31– 1,217.82	Passes through Muncho Lake Provincial Park
	​	1,985.48	1,233.72	Liard River Bridge across Liard River
	​	2,045.67	1,271.12	Coal River Bridge across Coal River
Unorganized	​	2,128.1	1,322.3		British Columbia – Yukon border[8]	Enters the Yukon, remains as BC 97.
	​	2,129.3	1,323.1		British Columbia – Yukon border[8]	Reenters British Columbia
	​	2,132.0	1,324.8		British Columbia – Yukon border[8]	Reenters the Yukon
	​	2,140.4	1,330.0		British Columbia – Yukon border[8]	Reenters British Columbia
	​	2,142.2	1,331.1		British Columbia – Yukon border[8]	Reenters the Yukon
Unorganized (Stikine Region)	​	2,144.6	1,332.6		British Columbia – Yukon border[8]	Reenters British Columbia
	​	2,159.23	1,341.68	Hyland River Bridge across Hyland River
	Lower Post	2,179.23	1,354.11		Lower Post Road
	​	2,189.47	1,360.47	British Columbia – Yukon border
Continues as Hwy 1 north (Alaska Highway) – Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Alaska
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       HOV only       Incomplete access       Route transition       Unopened

External links

• Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia by British Columbia Driving & Transportation
• Old Cariboo Highway, U.Wash Digital Collections

References