Peace River
A River Town In The Peace Country With A Long Fur Trade And Cree History, A Valley Lookout Over Three Rivers, The Grave Of Twelve Foot Davis, A Museum, The Shaftesbury Trail And A Base For The Northern Highways. A Long Distance Stop On The Road Toward The Mackenzie Highway · Peace River, Alberta
Peace River is a town of about 6,500 people in a deep valley in northern Alberta, where the Peace, Smoky and Heart rivers meet roughly 480 km north-west of Edmonton by road. The Beaver, Cree and Slavey peoples used these rivers long before traders came, and the explorer Alexander Mackenzie is said to have wintered in the district in 1792 and 1793 before his push to the Pacific (confirm the exact site). Settlers and steamboats followed, and the town grew as the gateway to the Peace Country farmland and the northern roads. A museum covers the story of the river and the region, a lookout above town shows the three valleys at once, and a roadside grave honours Henry Fuller Davis, known as Twelve-Foot Davis, a fur trader and prospector remembered for a claim measuring just twelve feet. The Sagitawah and Shaftesbury trails follow old river routes, and the town is the last real stop before the long drive to the Mackenzie Highway. Services are good, crowds are rare.
Peace River, a town of about 6,500 people at the meeting of the Peace, Smoky and Heart rivers in northern Alberta, about 480 km north-west of Edmonton; coordinates approximate, Peace River, Alberta, Canada
The town and its river valley are open all year, and the lookout, the riverbank walks and the roadside grave marker are free at any hour. The museum keeps regular hours, often Tuesday to Saturday, with longer days in July and August and shorter ones in winter (confirm by phone). Summer light lasts past 10 pm in June, so evening walks are easy. Winter brings short days and deep cold, with the river frozen from about November to April, and some seasonal trails and shops reduce hours. Cafes, fuel and hotels keep ordinary hours, closing earlier on Sundays and statutory holidays.