Dawson Creek, British Columbia

Except for a small museum next to the town's eye-catching red grain hopper, and taking the obligatory photograph of the cairn marking Mile Zero of the Alaska Hwy, there's almost nothing to do in DAWSON CREEK (pop. 12,000). Contact the visitor centre at the museum, 900 Alaska Ave (April– May Mon– Sat 9am–6pm, May– Sept daily 8am–7pm, Sept– Oct Mon– Sat 9am–5pm, Oct– April Tues– Sat 10am–5pm; Tel:250/782-9595 or 1-866/645-3022, Web: www.tourismdawsoncreek.com ), for information about motels, most of which are concentrated on the Alaska Hwy northeast of town. One of the nicer places is the Ramada Limited Dawson Creek, 1748 Alaska Ave (Tel:250/782-8595 or 1-800/663-2749, Web: www.ramada.ca ; Price: $81-100), with views of countryside rather than the highway. The most attractive nearby campsite is the Mile 0 RV Park and Campground (Tel:250/782-2590; $13–19; May to mid-Sept), about 1km west of the town centre at the junction of Hwy 97 North and Hwy 97 South opposite 20th Street on the Alaska Hwy. For something to eat, Caruso's at 1025 Alaska Ave (Tel:250/782-4938) has a mix of Asian and Western cuisine (mains around $10) and does a popular lunch buffet. Join the locals at 10th Street's Alaska Pub, an attractive old wooden building adorned with taxidermied animals.