--- title: "Five walks along the rivers in Prince George | PG Pulse" description: "Five easy riverside walks in Prince George, from Cottonwood Island’s giant cottonwoods to the Fraser’s silt bluffs, with distances and tips." url: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/articles/five-walks-along-the-rivers/ markdown: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/articles/five-walks-along-the-rivers.md site: PG Pulse (https://princegeorgepulse.ca), The pulse of Prince George, British Columbia generated: 2026-10-16T16:33:13.671Z --- [Pulse story](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/articles/) Outdoors # Five walks along the rivers in Prince George Five easy riverside walks in Prince George, from Cottonwood Island’s giant cottonwoods to the Fraser’s silt bluffs, with distances and tips. PG Pulse staffPublished September 16, 20263 min read ![Calm water and forested banks on the Nechako River at Paddlewheel Park](https://princegeorgepulse-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/prince-george/guides/calm-water-nechako-river-paddlewheel-park-prince-george-7d9111-1280.webp) Calm water and forested banks on the Nechako River at Paddlewheel Park Photo: Trinisands, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Two big rivers meet in the middle of Prince George, and the city has done a good job of keeping their banks open to everyone. The **Heritage River Trail System** strings together about 9.2 km of mostly flat paths along the Fraser and Nechako, with parks, wetlands and history along the way. Here are five walks, from a 20-minute stroll to a half-day ramble. A quick safety note before you go: both rivers are cold and fast, and the banks can be undercut. Stay on the trails, keep dogs leashed and check the [rivers dashboard](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/dashboard/rivers/) in spring, when high water can close low-lying sections. Portions of the trail along the Nechako have been closed at times, so check the city’s trail page first. ## 1. Cottonwood Island loop **Distance:** about 2.2 km loop · **Surface:** paved, dirt and gravel · **Good for:** families, big trees Cottonwood Island Park is a 32-hectare floodplain forest on the Nechako, close to where it meets the Fraser. The loop crosses footbridges and weaves among towering black cottonwoods; in late spring their fluffy seeds drift through the air like summer snow. Keep an eye out for the wood carvings tucked into the trees, and for views across the water to the **Nechako cutbanks**, the pale cliffs that are the city’s signature landmark. Add-on: the **Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum** is right beside the park. ![A wooden footbridge among tall cottonwoods at Cottonwood Island Park](https://princegeorgepulse-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/prince-george/guides/wooden-footbridge-through-tall-cottonwood-trees-cottonwood-85e612-1080.webp) A footbridge on the Cottonwood Island loop. Photo: Drummer528, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons ## 2. Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park riverside **Distance:** 1 to 3 km, as you like · **Surface:** paved paths and lawns · **Good for:** history, picnics, views This is the site of the Lheidli T’enneh village and the 1807 Fort George trading post. Walk the paths along the Fraser and look across the river at the **silt bluffs**: layers of ice-age gravel topped by a pale band of fine sediment from the bottom of a vanished glacial lake. Our explainer [Why Prince George sits in a bowl](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/articles/why-prince-george-sits-in-a-bowl/) tells that story. The park has gardens, playgrounds, picnic spots and **The Exploration Place** museum. Please walk respectfully near the Lheidli T’enneh cemetery within the park. ## 3. The Heritage River Trail, end to end **Distance:** about 9.2 km · **Elevation change:** under 10 m · **Good for:** a longer walk or easy bike ride For the full experience, walk the whole system. It links **Cottonwood Island Park**, **Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park**, the **Hudson’s Bay Wetland** and **Carrie Jane Gray Park**, following the Nechako and then the Fraser. Along the way you will find interpretive signs, benches, picnic tables, canoe launches and seasonal washrooms. Tips: - Park at one end and plan a return route, or split the trail into two shorter walks. - It is almost entirely flat, which makes it one of the most accessible long walks in the city. - Early morning and evening bring the best light and the most birds. ## 4. Hudson’s Bay Wetland **Distance:** about 1.8 km · **Good for:** birdwatching, a quiet half hour Tucked beside the Fraser, this small nature park protects a riverside wetland rich in birds and plants. Interpretive signs explain what you are seeing. Spring and fall migration are especially good, when ducks, songbirds and raptors pass through the river corridor. Bring binoculars. ## 5. The Centennial Trail connection **Distance:** your choice · **Good for:** linking the river to the rest of the city The **Centennial Trail** loops around the bowl, connecting Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park and the Heritage River Trail with Moore’s Meadow, the UNBC connector trails, Carrie Jane Gray Park and the Hudson’s Bay Wetland. Walk a section from the river toward the west side of the city and you will climb gently from the floodplain onto the old river benches that most of Prince George is built on. It is a great way to understand the city’s layout on foot. ## Seasonal notes - **Spring:** high water in May and June. Some low sections may flood; check first. - **Summer:** long evenings, with daylight past 10 p.m. around the solstice. Bring bug spray. - **Fall:** late September is peak colour, when the cottonwoods, aspens and birches turn gold. - **Winter:** many paths are walkable with good boots or ice cleats; some sections are not cleared. ## More to explore - [Parks and trails in Prince George](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/visit/parks-and-trails/) - [Geography and rivers](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/explore/geography-and-rivers/) - [Glacial Lake Prince George](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/explore/glacial-lake-prince-george/) Spotted a mistake? [Suggest a correction](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/feedback/?kind=correction&page=%2Farticles%2Ffive-walks-along-the-rivers%2F&subject=Story%3A+Five+walks+along+the+rivers+in+Prince+George). ## Sources - [Heritage River Trail System (City of Prince George)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/parks-recreation/parks-trails/heritage-river-trail-system) - [Cottonwood Island Nature Park Trail (City of Prince George)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/parks-recreation/parks-trails/cottonwood-island-nature-park-trail) - [Hudson's Bay Wetland Nature Park (City of Prince George)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/parks-recreation/parks-trails/hudsons-bay-wetland-nature-park) - [Centennial Connector Trail (City of Prince George)](https://www.princegeorge.ca/parks-recreation/parks-trails/centennial-connector-trail) - [Geotour Guide for Prince George, British Columbia (GSC Open File 5559)](https://mineralsed.ca/site/assets/files/3451/princegeorgegeotourguide.pdf) walks trails Heritage River Trail Nechako River Fraser River parks ## Latest local news [All news](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/news/) - r/princegeorge ### [Maternity/ Labour and Delivery at UHNBC](https://www.reddit.com/r/princegeorge/comments/1x79faz/maternity_labour_and_delivery_at_uhnbc/) Oct 16 u/maymoee - r/princegeorge ### [URGENT HELP NEEDED!](https://www.reddit.com/r/princegeorge/comments/1x78d2y/urgent_help_needed/) Oct 15 u/Far-Buffalo3049 - r/princegeorge ### [Off grid family in bc !](https://www.reddit.com/r/princegeorge/comments/1x76bbg/off_grid_family_in_bc/) Oct 15 u/offgriddaddy11 - r/princegeorge ### [Some clarity on the city’s Whistleblower Policy “Drama.”](https://www.reddit.com/r/princegeorge/comments/1x7649i/some_clarity_on_the_citys_whistleblower_policy/) Oct 15 u/Parking\_Progress\_422 - CBC British Columbia ### [Valemount, B.C., mayor charged with sexual assault](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/valemount-mayor-sexual-assault-charge-9.7382967?cmp=rss) Oct 15 [Civic and politics](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/news/civic/) [More local news](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/news/) ## Data Machine-readable data behind this page, from the free PG Pulse API (https://princegeorgepulse.ca/developers/). ### Story Source: [PG Pulse stories (original reporting and explainers)](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/articles/). Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). JSON: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/api/v1/stories/five-walks-along-the-rivers?fields=title,description,date,updated,author,category - **title**: Five walks along the rivers in Prince George - **description**: Five easy riverside walks in Prince George, from Cottonwood Island’s giant cottonwoods to the Fraser’s silt bluffs, with distances and tips. - **date**: 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z - **author**: PG Pulse staff - **category**: Outdoors --- Markdown version of https://princegeorgepulse.ca/articles/five-walks-along-the-rivers/. Guide for AI agents: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/llms.txt. Free API: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/developers/