Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail

Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail is a long-distance hiking route in British Columbia that follows a historic overland “grease trail” corridor tied to Alexander Mackenzie’s 1793 transcontinental crossing and earlier Nuxalk and Carrier travel for trade in eulachon grease.

The route is commonly described as a ~420–450 km backcountry traverse between Quesnel and Bella Coola, with the modern trail starting at the Blackwater River/Fraser River area just west of Quesnel and running toward the Dean Channel/North Bentinck Arm area near Bella Coola.

Expect wilderness-travel logistics more than trail-hiking: the corridor runs through remote terrain with heavy deadfall, deep mud in places, and unbridged river crossings on some segments, so route-finding is a core skill rather than an add-on.

The trail also passes through areas including Tweedsmuir Provincial Park; large stretches are described as highly isolated, and portions can be heavily overgrown, so navigation and self-reliance matter for longer trips.

Historically, the overland route began just above the mouth of the Blackwater River (at the West Road River) and followed the Upper Blackwater into the Eliguk Lake and Gatcho Lake area, then crossed into the Bella Coola Valley and continued toward the Pacific via the Bella Coola River and Dean Channel.

This is a multi-day commitment: commonly cited durations for experienced hikers are on the order of about 14–18 days, while intermediate hikers may need at least 24 days; some sources also describe a typical full trek as taking about three weeks.

More information: Wikipedia, Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail, BC - BC Adventure Network, Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail | Quesnel Tourism