Few road trips in Canada match the sheer scale and variety of the Yellowhead Highway. Stretching nearly 3,000 kilometres from the prairies of Manitoba to the rainforest coast of British Columbia, Highway 16 — the Yellowhead — carries travellers through some of the country's most dramatic and least-crowded landscapes. This is not a highway of billboards and strip malls. It is a route of wide skies, mountain passes, river valleys, and small cities that carry enormous character. Pack the car, fill the tank, and let's drive it from east to west.
Winnipeg, Manitoba — Where the Journey Begins
The Yellowhead officially begins in Winnipeg, Manitoba's capital and Canada's gateway to the west. Sitting at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, Winnipeg is a city of genuine cultural depth — the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Exchange District's heritage architecture, and a food scene shaped by Indigenous, Ukrainian, Filipino, and South Asian communities all reward a day or two of exploration before you hit the road. The city's airport code, YWG, is worn with pride by locals who know that Winnipeg's reputation for cold winters undersells everything else the city has to offer.
Leaving Winnipeg heading northwest, the city gives way almost immediately to the open prairie. The sky doubles in size. The horizon stretches in every direction. This is the landscape that shaped the people who live here — vast, honest, and quietly beautiful.
Across the Saskatchewan Prairie
The Yellowhead crosses into Saskatchewan and continues its westward arc through farmland and small towns. The land here is not flat so much as gently rolling, with grain elevators punctuating the skyline at regular intervals — the cathedrals of the prairie, as they are sometimes called. The light in this part of the country is extraordinary, particularly in the golden hour before sunset, when the fields turn amber and the sky shifts through shades of orange and violet.
Saskatoon arrives as a welcome surprise for travellers who expect the prairies to be monotonous. The South Saskatchewan River cuts through the city in a series of graceful curves, lined with parks and pedestrian bridges. The Broadway District offers independent shops, coffee roasters, and restaurants worth lingering over. Wanuskewin Heritage Park, just north of the city, is a National Historic Site and a living centre of Northern Plains Indigenous culture — one of the most significant archaeological sites in North America and an essential stop on any thoughtful journey through this region.
Lloydminster — A City in Two Provinces
Crossing from Saskatchewan into Alberta, the Yellowhead passes through Lloydminster, a city with a genuinely unique distinction: it straddles the provincial border. The 4th Meridian, which marks the boundary between Saskatchewan and Alberta, runs directly through the city, meaning residents on one side live in a different time zone and pay different provincial taxes than those on the other. The border is marked by a series of tall border markers in the city centre — a quirky and photogenic landmark that makes for a memorable stop.
Edmonton, Alberta — The Gateway to the North
The Yellowhead rolls into Edmonton, Alberta's capital, a city that punches well above its weight in arts, culture, and culinary ambition. The North Saskatchewan River valley — the largest stretch of urban parkland in Canada — winds through the city, offering cycling paths, river valley trails, and views that surprise visitors expecting an oil-industry town. The Alberta Legislature, the Art Gallery of Alberta, and the vibrant Whyte Avenue neighbourhood all reward exploration. Edmonton is also the last major urban centre before the highway climbs into the mountains, making it a natural place to rest, resupply, and prepare for the dramatic terrain ahead.
Into the Rockies — Jasper National Park
West of Edmonton, the landscape begins to change. The prairie gives way to foothills, the foothills to forest, and then — suddenly, breathtakingly — the Rocky Mountains rise ahead. The Yellowhead Highway enters Jasper National Park through the Athabasca River valley, one of the most scenic mountain corridors in the world.
Jasper is the quieter, less-commercialized counterpart to Banff, and many travellers prefer it for exactly that reason. The town of Jasper sits surrounded by peaks, with Pyramid Mountain and the Colin Range forming a dramatic backdrop. The Athabasca Falls, Maligne Canyon, and Maligne Lake — with its famous Spirit Island — are among the most photographed natural features in Canada. In winter, the Jasper Dark Sky Preserve offers some of the best stargazing on the continent. The Icefields Parkway connects Jasper to Banff to the south, but the Yellowhead continues west through Yellowhead Pass, the lowest pass through the Canadian Rockies and the route's namesake.
Yellowhead Pass itself sits at 1,131 metres above sea level — modest by Rocky Mountain standards, but historically significant as the route used by fur traders, explorers, and eventually the Canadian National Railway. The pass marks the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia.
Into British Columbia — The Fraser Plateau
Descending from Yellowhead Pass into British Columbia, the highway follows the Fraser River system through a landscape of dense conifer forest, river canyons, and mountain lakes. The air changes — moister, heavier with the scent of spruce and cedar. This is the interior of BC, a region of immense ecological richness and relatively few visitors compared to the coast.
Prince George is the largest city in northern BC and the hub of the region — a working city built on forestry, rail, and resource industries, with a growing arts scene and a university that has brought new energy to the downtown core. The confluence of the Fraser and Nechako rivers here was a significant gathering place for the Lheidli T'enneh people long before European settlement, and that history is woven into the city's identity. Prince George is also the junction where the Yellowhead meets Highway 97, making it a crossroads for travellers heading north or south.
The Bulkley Valley — Smithers and the Hazeltons
West of Prince George, the Yellowhead enters the Bulkley Valley, and the scenery intensifies. The highway follows the Bulkley River through a corridor flanked by the Babine Mountains to the north and the Telkwa Range to the south. This is one of the most beautiful stretches of the entire route.
Smithers is a town that has cultivated a distinctive identity — part mountain town, part arts community, with a Bavarian-influenced main street that reflects the heritage of early European settlers. Hudson Bay Mountain looms directly above the town, offering skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The Bulkley River here is renowned for steelhead fishing, drawing anglers from across North America. The nearby Hazelton area — a cluster of small communities including New Hazelton, South Hazelton, and ‘Ksan — is home to the ‘Ksan Historical Village and Museum, a remarkable reconstruction of a Gitxsan village that offers one of the most authentic windows into Northwest Coast Indigenous culture anywhere in BC.
Terrace — Gateway to the Skeena
The highway continues west to Terrace, where the Bulkley River joins the Skeena — one of BC's great salmon rivers. Terrace sits in a broad valley surrounded by mountains that receive extraordinary snowfall, making it a destination for backcountry skiers and snowboarders who seek out the legendary powder of the Skeena Country. The Nisga’a Highway branches north from Terrace toward the Nisga’a Lava Beds Memorial Provincial Park, where a volcanic eruption approximately 250 years ago buried two Nisga’a villages — the most recent volcanic event in Canada’s recorded history.
From Terrace, the Yellowhead follows the Skeena River west toward the coast. This final stretch of the highway is among the most dramatic. The Skeena cuts through a canyon of forested mountains, the river running wide and grey-green with glacial melt. Eagles are a common sight. The forest thickens and darkens as the Pacific moisture increases. The landscape feels ancient and unhurried.
Prince Rupert — Land’s End on the Pacific
The Yellowhead Highway ends at Prince Rupert, a port city perched on Kaien Island at the mouth of the Skeena River, just south of the Alaska border. It is one of the rainiest cities in Canada — and one of the most atmospheric. The harbour is busy with fishing vessels, BC Ferries, and Alaska Marine Highway ships. The Museum of Northern British Columbia tells the story of the Tsimshian people and the region’s maritime and industrial history with genuine depth.
Prince Rupert is also the western terminus of the Via Rail Canadian route — the same transcontinental train that connects Toronto to Vancouver — making it possible to complete the Yellowhead journey by rail as well as road. Prince Rupert is also the departure point for BC Ferries service to Haida Gwaii, the remote archipelago to the southwest that is home to the Haida Nation and some of the most extraordinary wilderness in North America. The village of Sandspit — served by its own airport (YZP) on Moresby Island — makes a worthy extension to the journey for travellers with the time to cross the Hecate Strait.
Standing at the Prince Rupert waterfront after nearly 3,000 kilometres of prairie, mountain, and rainforest, the scale of the journey becomes clear. The Yellowhead Highway is not just a road — it is a cross-section of Canada itself, from the open heart of the prairies to the edge of the Pacific. Drive it slowly. Stop often. It rewards the unhurried traveller at every turn.
Take a Piece of the Journey Home
Every city along the Yellowhead has its own identity, its own stories, and its own airport code — and at YHM Designs, we celebrate all of them. Whether you have roots in Winnipeg, a soft spot for Jasper, or a connection to the coast at Prince Rupert, our airport code gifts — mugs, pillows, prints, and more — are designed for people who love where they come from. Browse our collections for every stop along the Yellowhead:
- Winnipeg, Manitoba (YWG)
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (YXE)
- Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan (YLL)
- Edmonton, Alberta (YEG)
- Jasper, Alberta (YJA)
- Prince George, British Columbia (YXS)
- Smithers, British Columbia (YYD)
- Terrace, British Columbia (YXT)
- Prince Rupert, British Columbia (YPR)
- Sandspit, British Columbia — Haida Gwaii (YZP)
