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the Degree Confluence Project
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Canada : British Columbia

21.6 km (13.4 miles) NE of Toad River, BC, Canada
Approx. altitude: 656 m (2152 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap topo topo250 ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 59°S 55°E

Accuracy: 17.1 km (10.6 mi)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: view to SSE, from highway, west of Steamboat, Muskwa River in the background #3: stone sheep on highway, with Mount St. George in the background #4: stone sheep #5: cariboo #6: Flash Flood sign #7: alluvial fan #8: NASA Landsat satellite image, at 50% zoom (early 1990s)

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  59°N 125°W (secondary, incomplete) 

#1: view west, where highway crosses 125°W

(visited by Dave Patton)

During August 2003 I drove through British Columbia and into the Northwest Territories on a combined confluence hunting and sightseeing trip. I started close to 49°N and went as far North as 61°N, covered 6,200 kilometers (3,850 miles), did 7 successful confluence visits, and had another 12 confluences that are incomplete. I made a map that shows the route, and the confluences in the order they were done, with the successful ones shown with black markers. The incomplete visits are a mix of actual attempts and situations where I drove somewhat close to the confluence, and included a 'visit' as a way to document the confluence location for future visitors. The first confluence on the trip was 52°N 121°W.

17-Aug-2003 -- After my successful visit to 60°N 123°W the day before, I spent the night at the Beaver Lake Forest Service recreation site, which is about 10 kilometers north from the junction of the Liard Highway and the Alaska Highway.

When I got up in the morning, I discovered I had a flat tire. As I was working on putting on the spare tire, a couple from Fort Nelson drove up. They asked if I had seen any bears (I hadn't). They were there to check on the Highbush Blueberries, to see if they were ready for picking, and naturally they also attract bears.

Although not part of of my plans, I had to drive back into Fort Nelson to deal with my flat tire. It was a Sunday, so neither tire store was open. It turned out that the flat tire was not repairable (broken sidewall), and we couldn't find a suitable used tire at the gas station. I ran into one of the employees of one of the tire stores, who had just stopped by the store to pick something up. I had to pay the surchage for a Sunday callout, but he sold me a new tire.

By the time I had dealt with the tire problems, and done some grocery shopping, it was after 1PM before I left Fort Nelson. About 53 kilometers along the Alaska Highway, west of the junction with the Liard Highway, I stopped to take a picture of the view to the SSE. The highway in this section is rising up out of the Fort Nelson lowlands, through the northern Rocky Mountains foothills. Shortly after this, the highway passes the Tetsa River Provincial Park, and 124°W, and then further along the highway passes along the northern edge of the Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park, the third largest provincial park in BC.

The scenery in the area is spectacular, with the highway reaching Summit Pass, at 1,267 meters (4,157 feet), in Stone Mountain Provincial Park. As I continued west along the highway and through the park, I came across stone sheep and cariboo on the highway. Further along the highway, after it had descended into the valley to the west of the park, I stopped at a pullout beside the highway, next to a river. There was a sign about Flash Floods, and across the river was an alluvial fan.

I stopped again where the highway crosses 125°W (Waypoint 070) and took a picture facing west. The confluence is 24.6 kilometers north from this spot. The closest access to the confluence that I'm aware of would be the access to the Toad River Hot Springs Provincial Park.

The next confluence on this trip was 59°N 126°W.


 All pictures
#1: view west, where highway crosses 125°W
#2: view to SSE, from highway, west of Steamboat, Muskwa River in the background
#3: stone sheep on highway, with Mount St. George in the background
#4: stone sheep
#5: cariboo
#6: Flash Flood sign
#7: alluvial fan
#8: NASA Landsat satellite image, at 50% zoom (early 1990s)
ALL: All pictures on one page