The Cheslatta Trail (or ''Tsetl'adak ts'eti'' in Carrier)Nyan Whut'en Hubughunek (Cheslatta Carrier Dictionary). 2009. William J.Poser (compiler). Burns Lake, BC: Cheslatta Carrier Nation. is an ancient land route in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, that stretched from the

Dakelh The Dakelh (pronounced ) or Carrier are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people living a large portion of the British Columbia Interior, Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The Dakel ...

villages of Belhk'achek and Sdughachola on

Cheslatta Lake Cheslatta Lake is a large freshwater lake located between François Lake and the western end of the Nechako Reservoir, Range 4 Coast Land District. It is in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako,The boundaries of the Regional District of Bu ...

to Nadleh Village on Fraser Lake. It was used by the Dakelh people for as a major trade, travel and communication line, until the construction of the

Alcan Alcan was a Canadian mining company and aluminum manufacturer. It was founded in 1902 as the Northern Aluminum Company, renamed Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and Alcan Aluminum in 1966. It took the name Alcan Incorporated in 2001. During ...

Kenney Dam The Kenney Dam is a rock-fill embankment dam on the Nechako River in northwestern British Columbia, built in the early 1950s. The impoundment of water behind the dam forms the Nechako Reservoir, which is also commonly known as the Ootsa Lake Reserv ...

in 1952 caused flooding of the

Cheslatta River The Cheslatta River is a tributary of the Nechako River, one of the main tributaries of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It flows through the Nechako Plateau. Before the construction of Kenney Dam in the early 1950s t ...

and Cheslatta Lake, forcing the Cheslatta people from their lakeside villages. From Nadleh, the trail would have passed through the modern day Beaumont Provincial Park and across Highway 16, then south of

Dry William Lake Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to **Arid regions **Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medical) ...

. Today, it begins at km 7.5 on the Holy Cross Forest Road (6 km west of Beaumont Park on Highway 16). The trail then traverses 60 km of forest, passing Klez, Chowsunkut, Hallet, Bentzi, Targe, and Holy Cross Lakes along the way. It ends at the site of Belhk'achek village, near the mouth of Knapp Creek on Cheslatta Lake. The end of the Cheslatta Trail in Nadleh met with the beginning of the

Nyan Wheti Nyan Wheti is an ancient land route in northern British Columbia, Canada from the Dakelh villages on Fraser Lake (''Nadlehbunk'ut'') to villages on Stuart Lake (''Nak'albun''), about 50 km to the north. The name in Carrier means "The Way Across." ...

, another land route, from Fraser Lake to Stuart Lake.

References

Dakelh First Nations history in British Columbia Grease trails Hiking trails in British Columbia Nechako Country {{Canada-trail-stub