Visit the trestle bridge at Pouce Coupe
If you’re driving to Mile Zero in Dawson Creek to begin your Alaska Highway road trip, chances are you’ll pass through the self-proclaimed “Pioneer Capital of Peace Country,” Pouce Coupe.
A small community of several hundred people, Pouce Coupe is located about 10 km southeast of Dawson Creek on Highway 2.
And if you find yourself in Pouce Coupe, be sure to make your way to the trestle bridge that spans Bissette Creek, southwest of town.
If you’re a fan of railway bridges, this massive one – built in 1930 entirely out of wood by the Northern Alberta Railways – will not disappoint.
To get to it from Highway 2 (as you travel north), turn southwest onto either 51 Avenue (it turns into Railway Avenue) or Elevator Road. Take either route to Bissette Drive, park and hike about 200 metres to the bridge. It’s reported (in one online comment, anyway) to be approximately 150 metres in length and very photogenic from any angle.
Relax and enjoy a picnic near the bridge…and walk across it if you dare!
Here’s a comment from someone who did:
“If you talk about authentic – this is it…right down to the look and smell of the trestle. Walking across is it exciting and scary! Very fun and great for pictures. A little tricky to find so use your GPS or ask a local so you don’t miss it.”
– Trip Advisor
Visit nearby Northern Alberta Railway (NAR) Station
Northern Alberta Railways Station is found in NAR Park, a four-acre cultural and historical park in Dawson Creek. It is well worth a visit.
It was built in Dawson Creek in 1930-31. When the railway tracks were laid here, they didn’t quite reach the original site of Dawson Creek, so the community relocated to the “end of steel” and established what became Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway.