The Stewart-Cassiar Highway is B.C. Highway 37, one of only two highway routes from British Columbia to the Yukon and Alaska. It runs about 725 km (450 miles) north from Kitwanga Junction on Highway 16, between Smithers and Terrace, through the Coast and Cassiar mountains to Junction 37 on the Alaska Highway, about 21 km west of Watson Lake. Most travellers call it the Cassiar Highway.
The road is almost all paved, but it is narrow and remote, with long gaps between services, almost no cell coverage and heavy trucks. In return you get glaciers, lakes, bears and First Nations villages, and far less traffic than on the Alaska Highway. The Highway 37A side road to Stewart, B.C. and Hyder, Alaska is one of the best detours in the North.
| Length | About 725 km (450 mi), Kitwanga Junction on Highway 16 to the Alaska Highway |
|---|---|
| South end | Kitwanga Junction on Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway), between Smithers and Terrace, B.C. |
| North end | Junction 37 on the Alaska Highway (about km 1002), about 21 km (13 mi) west of Watson Lake, Yukon |
| Highway number | B.C. Highway 37 (Highway 37A to Stewart) |
| Surface and season | Pavement or sealcoat with about 1 km of gravel, open all year. Narrow, with few passing lanes. |
| Fuel | Kitwanga · Gitanyow · Meziadin Junction · Stewart (side road) · Bell 2 · Iskut · Dease Lake · Good Hope Lake (card lock) · Junction 37 (seasonal) · Nugget City. Longest gap: Dease Lake to Watson Lake, 270 km. |
| Cell service | Only at Kitwanga, Stewart and Watson Lake |
| Provincial park campgrounds | Meziadin Lake (66 sites) · Kinaskan Lake (50) · TÄ Ch’ilÄ (Boya Lake) (44) |
| Side trips | Stewart, B.C. and Hyder, Alaska (Highway 37A, 65 km) · Telegraph Creek (115 km of gravel from Dease Lake) |
| Time zone | B.C. stays on Pacific daylight time (UTC−7) all year since November 1, 2026, the same as Yukon |
| Road conditions | DriveBC (B.C., phone 1-800-550-4997) · 511 Yukon (once you reach the Alaska Highway) |
Kilometres count north from Kitwanga Junction on Highway 16. They are approximate and are based on B.C. government, B.C. Parks and business distances, and on The MILEPOST, so they can differ from the posts by a few kilometres.
Kitwanga (Gitwangak) and Gitanyow are First Nations villages at the south end of the highway, known for their standing totem poles. At Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site, a self-guided trail climbs the hill where the Gitwangak people defended a fortified village. Visit respectfully, and stay off the poles and out of private yards.
Stewart and Hyder sit side by side at the head of the Portland Canal and work as one community. Stewart has the Stewart Visitor Centre (222 5th Avenue, 250-636-9224, open daily in summer), the Stewart Historical Museum (703 Brightwell Street, 250-636-2229), the Ripley Creek Inn and the Bear River RV Park, which has 68 full-service sites. Hyder has no fuel or U.S. customs, and you must report to the CBSA when you come back into Canada.
Iskut is a Tahltan village with fuel, a store and a cafe at the Kluachon Store and Cafe. Dease Lake, about 83 km north, has around 400 people and is the main service centre of the Stikine region. It has a gas station, a grocery store, the Northway Motor Inn (43 rooms) and the Arctic Divide Lodge, plus the B.C. highways office that maintains the road.
Telegraph Creek was the head of navigation on the Stikine River during the Cassiar and Klondike gold rushes. Today it is a quiet Tahltan community at the end of a spectacular gravel road. The Stikine River Song Cafe and Lodge is run by the Tahltan Band.
Jade City was founded in 1985 by the Simonovic family, and about 26 people live there. The Jade City Jade Store sells nephrite jade mined in the Cassiar Mountains and was featured on the TV series Jade Fever. Good Hope Lake, about 24 km further north, is a small Dease River First Nation community.
Service stations are far apart, and most sell only fuel and oil. Minor repairs are available only in Stewart, Dease Lake and Watson Lake. For major repairs, you need to get to Whitehorse, Terrace or Smithers.
Book B.C. Parks sites through B.C. Parks reservations. Overnight camping is not allowed at provincial rest areas, pullouts or gravel pits, and rest areas have no drinking water.
The Stewart-Cassiar Highway was built in sections to serve mines and remote communities. It was completed as a through road in 1972. The asbestos town of Cassiar, which had about 1,500 people in the 1970s, closed with its mine in 1992. Long before the road, First Nations peoples, among them the Gitxsan, Gitanyow, Tahltan and Kaska Dena, travelled and traded through this country, and the highway still runs through their territories.
It starts at Kitwanga Junction on Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway), between Smithers and Terrace in northern British Columbia, and ends at Junction 37 on the Alaska Highway, about 21 km (13 miles) west of Watson Lake, Yukon. The road is B.C. Highway 37, and many travellers simply call it the Cassiar Highway.
The B.C. government gives the length as about 725 km (450 miles), from Kitwanga Junction to the Yukon. Plan at least two days, with a night at Meziadin Junction, Bell 2, Iskut or Dease Lake. The Stewart and Hyder side trip (65 km each way) and the Telegraph Creek road (115 km of gravel each way) each add at least a day.
Yes, almost all of it. The B.C. government says most of the route is pavement or sealcoat, with about 1 km of gravel. It is narrow, with little or no shoulder and few passing lanes. Drive with your headlights on, and expect gravel on the Telegraph Creek road and the Salmon Glacier road.
Fuel is sold at Kitwanga, Gitanyow, Meziadin Junction, Bell 2 Lodge, Iskut (Kluachon Store and Cafe) and Dease Lake, and in Stewart on the Highway 37A side road. There is no fuel in Hyder. North of Dease Lake, the Dease River First Nation store at Good Hope Lake has a card-lock pump, and Junction 37 Services at the Alaska Highway has gas and diesel, which has been seasonal in some years. Fill up in Dease Lake: the B.C. government lists Dease Lake to Watson Lake, 270 km, as the longest distance between pumps. The Nugget City Service Centre, about 1.5 km west of the junction on the Alaska Highway, advertises 24-hour fuel.
Very little. The B.C. government says cell service is only available at Kitwanga, Stewart and Watson Lake. Some lodges sell Wi-Fi, and Stewart, Dease Lake and Watson Lake have internet. Check DriveBC for road conditions before you leave, carry a paper map and tell someone your plans.
Turn west at Meziadin Junction onto Highway 37A. It is 65 km to Stewart, past Bear Glacier and Bear Pass. Hyder is just past Stewart. There is no U.S. border post going into Hyder, but you must report to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at Stewart on the way back, so bring a passport or other accepted travel documents. When the port is not staffed, telephone reporting is mandatory.
At the U.S. Forest Service Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site, about 3 miles (5 km) past Hyder on the Salmon River Road. Grizzly and black bears fish for chum and pink salmon there. Staff are on site from July 15 to September 20, and there is a day-use fee. In 2026 the site was open in a limited capacity after a glacier flood damaged part of the viewing platform, so check with the Forest Service (907-225-2148) before you go.
B.C. Parks runs three campgrounds on the highway: Meziadin Lake Park (66 sites, some with power, near Meziadin Junction), Kinaskan Lake Park (50 first-come, first-served sites) and TÄ Ch’ilÄ (Boya Lake) Park (44 sites, north of Jade City). Private campgrounds include the Kitwanga River RV Campground, Bear River RV Park in Stewart, Tatogga Lake Resort, Red Goat Lodge near Iskut and Watersedge Campground on Dease Lake. Overnight camping is not allowed at highway rest areas, pullouts or gravel pits.
Yes, in a car or truck in good weather. The Telegraph Creek road leaves Highway 37 at Dease Lake and runs 115 km on gravel, with grades of up to 20 percent through the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. The B.C. government allows 2.5 to 3 hours each way and does not recommend it for RVs or trailers. In Telegraph Creek, the Stikine River Song Cafe and Lodge and the Hyland Creek Bed and Breakfast have rooms.
Highlights include the totem poles at Gitwangak and Gitanyow Historical Village, Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site, Bear Glacier and the Salmon Glacier near Stewart, the bears at Fish Creek, Cascade Falls near Kinaskan Lake, the jade shop at Jade City Jade Store and the clear blue-green water of Boya Lake. The former asbestos-mining town of Cassiar, west of the highway near Jade City, closed in 1992.
Distances are approximate and seasons and hours are for 2026. Always check DriveBC before you travel. Last updated: November 2026.