The Alaska Highway begins in the town of Dawson Creek, in the fertile corn-growing plain of Peace River, on the border with Alberta. Beyond Fort Nelson some 500 km (310 mi.) to the north the road approaches the Rocky Mountains. There are two notable nature parks along this stretch, Stone Mountain and Muncho Lake Provincial Park.
Dawson Creek
(pop. 11,000, 666 m (2186 ft)), at the end of the John Hart Highway, is already in the predominantly flat lands of the Peace River Region, Canada's northernmost farming area (grain, oilseed rape, dairy farming).
The "0" milepost, 3 m (10 ft) high and decorated with flags, marks the start of the famous Alaska Highway built by the U.S. Army between 1942 and 1944. The town first came into being in the 1930s, when a railhead was built here to serve Peace River's wheatlands, but its rapid growth only took off with the construction of the Alaska Highway. The town landmarks are the big grain silos of Alberta Pool Elevators Ltd. at the station.
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