Stewart–Cassiar Highway

Highway 37 starts its 874 km (543 mi) journey in the south at Kitimat. 59 km (37 mi) north, Highway 37 reaches Terrace, where it merges onto the Yellowhead Highway. The Yellowhead coincides with Highway 37 east for 91 km (57 mi) to Kitwanga Junction, where the Yellowhead diverges east.

North of the Yellowhead's Kitwanga junction, Highway 37 travels 76 km (47 mi) to Cranberry Junction, and then another 80 km (50 mi) north to Meziadin Junction, where Highway 37A begins and heads west via Bear River Pass to Stewart and Hyder, Alaska. Highway 37 travels north through the Skeena Mountains for 333 km (207 mi) to the Continental Divide communities of Eddontenajon, Iskut and Dease Lake, which straddles the Stikine and Dease River basins. Another 116 km (72 mi) north and Highway 37 reaches Jade City, where a junction to the former asbestos-mining community of Cassiar is located. North of Jade City, Highway 37 travels another 120 km (75 mi) to its crossing of the 60th parallel into the Yukon Territory, becoming Yukon Highway 37 and terminating at a junction with the Alaska Highway near Upper Liard just 3.4 km (2.1 mi) later. According to the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, "Most of the route is hard surface (either pavement or sealcoat) with approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) of gravel."^[4][5]

The Highway 37 of today is the result of highway extension projects began in 1959.^[6]

Originally, a roadway extended south from the Alaska Highway to serve the Cassiar mining district, eventually reaching Dease Lake and joining a road to Telegraph Creek (sometimes referred to as Highway 51, but not signed as such). To the south, logging roads extended north almost as far as Meziadin Junction.

By 1968, the route of what is now 37A extended past Meziadin Junction north. This was done to allow for asbestos from Cassiar to be shipped to market via sea from Stewart.^[6] By the middle of 1972, only a few miles remained to be built between Meziadin Junction and Iskut. Four bicyclists, whose journey from Alaska to Montana was chronicled in a May 1973 National Geographic article, braved the muddy gap.

Once this route was completed, travelers only had to contend with limited hours for using the logging roads south of Meziadin Junction, roads which were upgraded during the 1970s. The completion of a new bridge over the Skeena River at Kitwanga in Mid-November 1975 gave better access to the Yellowhead Highway.^[7] Work continued through the mid-to-late 70s to upgrade the stretch of highway.

The Highway 37 corridor is slated for infrastructure enhancements as resource extraction activities increase in the Northwest region of British Columbia. The Northwest Transmission Line was constructed by BC Hydro and runs from Terrace, British Columbia to Bob Quinn Lake, largely paralleling the highway.^[8]

From south to north:

Province/Territory	Regional District	Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
British Columbia	Kitimat-Stikine	Kitimat	0.00	0.00	Haisla Boulevard Nalabila Boulevard, Kitimaat Village Road – Kitamaat Village	Hwy 37 southern terminus
		​	24.92	15.48	Crosses the Kitimat River
		Terrace	57.70	35.85	Highway 16 (TCH/YH) west – Prince Rupert	South end of Hwy 16 concurrency
		Kitwanga	148.30	92.15	Highway 16 (TCH/YH) east – Prince George	North end of Hwy 16 concurrency
			148.50	92.27	Kitwanga Bridge crosses the Skeena River
		Cranberry Junction	223.85	139.09	Nass Forest Service Road Road − Gitlaxt'aamiks, Nass Camp, Nisga'a Lava Bed Park
		Meziadin Junction	304.57	189.25	Highway 37A west – Stewart, Hyder
		​	336.81	209.28	Crosses the Bell-Irving River
		Bell II	400.20	248.67	Crosses the Bell-Irving River
		​	588.22	365.50	Crosses the Stikine River
		Dease Lake	639.34	397.27	Boulder Street – Telegraph Creek	Unofficial Hwy 51
	Stikine Region (Unorganized)	No major junctions
British Columbia – Yukon border			871.37 0.00	541.44 0.00	Highway 37 northern terminus •   Hwy 37 southern terminus
Yukon	Unorganized		3.39	2.11	Hwy 1 (Alaska Highway) – Whitehorse, Watson Lake	Hwy 37 northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Route transition

 

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Stewart-Cassiar Highway.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stewart-Cassiar Highway.

• BC Ministry of Transportation's Highway 37 Stewart-Cassiar Scenic Route