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Highway 97
Highway 97 highlighted in red.
Route information
Maintained by theMinistry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Length	2,081 km (1,293 mi)
Existed	1953–present
Component highways	Okanagan Highway betweenOsoyoos andVernon Vernon-Monte Creek Highway between Vernon andMonte Creek Cariboo Highway betweenCache Creek andPrince George John Hart Highway between Prince George andDawson Creek Alaska Highway between Dawson Creek andWatson Lake, Yukon
Major junctions
South end	US 97 at theCanada–United States border nearOsoyoos
Major intersections	Highway 3 inOsoyoos Highway 33 inKelowna Highway 6 inVernon Highway 1 (TCH) inMonte Creek Highway 5 (YH) inKamloops Highway 99 nearCache Creek Highway 24 in93 Mile House Highway 16 (TCH) inPrince George Highway 2 inDawson Creek Highway 77 nearFort Nelson
North end	Hwy 1 at theYukon border
Location
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional districts	Okanagan-Similkameen,Central Okanagan,North Okanagan,Thompson-Nicola,Cariboo,Fraser-Fort George,Peace River,Northern Rockies,Stikine
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways
←Highway 95A →Highway 97A

Highway 97 is a major highway in theCanadian province ofBritish Columbia. It is the longest continuously numbered route in the province, running 2,081 km (1,293 mi) and is the only route that runs the entire north–south length of British Columbia, connecting theCanada–United States border nearOsoyoos in the south with the British Columbia–Yukon boundary in the north atWatson Lake, Yukon.

The highway connects several major cities inBC Interior, includingKelowna,Kamloops,Prince George, andDawson Creek. Within and near these cities, Highway 97 varies from a two-lane highway to afreeway with as many as six lanes. Some remote sections also remain unpaved andgravelled. The route takes its number fromU.S. Route 97, with which it connects at the international border. The highway was initially designated '97' in 1953.

The busiest section of Highway 97 is in West Kelowna, carrying almost 70,000 vehicles per day. Some sections in the northern regions of the province have as few as 250 vehicles per day.^[1][2]

CrossingOkanagan Lake via theWilliam R. Bennett Bridge inKelowna.

Okanagan Highway passing throughLake Country, between Kelowna andVernon.

The Okanagan Highway is a 189-kilometre-long (117 mi) section of Highway 97 between the international border and the junction ofHighway 97A north ofVernon. It is named for theOkanagan region of British Columbia, through which it largely passes. It begins in the south at the international border crossing north ofOroville, Washington, and travels 4 km (2.5 mi) north to its junction with theCrowsnest Highway (Highway 3) at Osoyoos. The highway travels north for 47 km (29 mi), passing through theTestalinden Creek Landslide and the communities ofOliver andOkanagan Falls. From Okanagan Falls, Highway 97 runs near the western shore ofSkaha Lake before arriving at the locality ofKaleden, whereHighway 3A diverges west.

13 km (8 mi) north of Kaleden, Highway 97 arrives at the city ofPenticton. North of Penticton, Highway 97 follows the western shore ofOkanagan Lake for 45 km (28 mi), through the communities ofSummerland andPeachland, before reaching its junction withHighway 97C just south ofWestbank. From there, Highway 97 passes throughWest Kelowna and reserve lands belonging to theWestbank First Nation until, 15 km (9 mi) northeast of the 97C junction, Highway 97 begins to cross Okanagan Lake via theWilliam R. Bennett Bridge. The highway enters the city ofKelowna upon landfall on the east shore of the lake. 6 km (4 mi) east into the city centre, the highway reaches its junction withHighway 33. As the Okanagan is a very popular travel destination and also has the highest population in inland B.C. (about 300,000), this section of highway 97 is by far the busiest. Congestion is frequent - particularly near the William Bennett Bridge, and Southbound towards West Kelowna.

Four kilometres (21⁄2 mi) north of the Highway 33 junction, Highway 97 leaves the urbanized area of Kelowna (the municipal boundary is actually a further 12 km, 7 mi, north). For the next 43 km (27 mi), the route travels well east of Okanagan Lake, passing through the community ofWinfield. Prior to 2013, the highway ran alongside the west shore ofWood Lake toOyama. A new 9-kilometre (6 mi) section of four-lane highway was constructed and opened to traffic at that time, which bypasses Oyama entirely to the north. The original section of the highway skirting the western shore of Wood Lake is now known asPelmewash Parkway. Both Oyama and Winfield lie within the municipality ofLake Country.

Highway 97 then passes along the west shore ofKalamalka Lake before entering the city ofVernon and a junction withHighway 6 just south of the city centre. The highway then travels north for 10 km (6 mi) to a junction with Highway 97A nearSwan Lake.

Highway 97 continues northwest from Highway 97A for 81 km (50 mi), past the town ofFalkland, before it merges onto the Trans-Canada Highway atMonte Creek, and is known as theVernon-Monte Creek Highway. The highway followsHighway 1 for 105 km (65 mi) west toCache Creek. As it travels westward, Highways 1 and 97 parallel theThompson River, passing through the city ofKamloops, where the route shares a 12-kilometre (7.5 mi)wrong-way concurrency withHighway 5 (signed as 97North and 5South and vice versa) and intersectsHighway 5A.

The Cariboo Highway section of Highway 97, between Cache Creek andPrince George, is 441 km (274 mi) in length and named for theCariboo region, through which it travels. Much of its length as far asQuesnel follows approximately the route of the originalCariboo Wagon Road, which was also known as the Queen's Highway. The Cariboo Wagon Road's lower stretches betweenYale and Cache Creek were severed in many places by the construction of theCanadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s. That section, now part of the Trans-Canada, was rebuilt in the 1920s, when the name Cariboo Highway was first applied to the route, a designation which ran from Yale toPrince George, British Columbia (where portions of the route survive as theOld Cariboo Highway). Today the Cariboo Highway designation begins at Cache Creek, veering north for 11 km (7 mi) to its junction withHighway 99. North of Highway 99, Highway 97 travels 92 km (57 mi) throughClinton, where theBritish Columbia Railway begins to roughly parallel Highway 97, as well as through the community of70 Mile House before reaching a junction at93 Mile House withHighway 24 (theInterlakes Highway). The roughly 30-kilometre (19 mi) section of highway between 70 Mile House andHighway 24 has been re-routed to a new expressway with a speed limit of 110km/h.

Over the 100 km (62 mi) of road north of Highway 24, Highway 97 travels through100 Mile House and150 Mile House before reaching the city ofWilliams Lake and a junction withHighway 20, which runs west across theChilcotin District toBella Coola on theCentral Coast. Over the next 120 km (75 mi) continuing generally northward, the highway passes throughMcLeese Lake andMarguerite. En route, Highway 97 follows the east bank of theFraser River to the city ofQuesnel, and a junction withHighway 26. Over the next 115 km (71 mi) north of Quesnel, after passing through the hamlets ofStrathnaver,Hixon,Stoner andRed Rock, Highway 97 meets its junction withHighway 16 atPrince George. North of here, the highway veers away from the Fraser River, and the British Columbia Railway veers northwestward from it.

The term Cariboo Highway originally applied to the reconstructed route fromHope through theFraser Canyon to Cache Creek and Prince George. Constructed in 1924-25, the new gravel toll highway opened in 1926, giving road access to canyon communities cut off since the destruction of parts of theCariboo Road by construction of theCanadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s. The Cariboo Highway designation for the Fraser Canyon portion of the route was supplanted with the completion and naming of the Trans-Canada Highway c.-1962. Portions of the old highway survive as local streets, some carrying the nameOld Cariboo Highway (as in Prince George).

This 405-kilometre-long (252 mi) stretch of Highway 97, named for former British Columbia PremierJohn Hart, begins at theJohn Hart Bridge crossing theNechako River in Prince George, travelling for 152 km (94 mi) north through the small hamlet ofSummit Lake, which is situated at theContinental Divide, as well as throughCrooked River Provincial Park,Bear Lake andMcLeod Lake, to its intersection withHighway 39. It then journeys northeast another 150 km (93 mi) over the crest of theRocky Mountains via thePine Pass, at which point thetime zone changes fromPacific Time toMountain Time. After descending from the Pine Pass, the highway generally follows thePine River northeast to its intersection withHighway 29 at the town ofChetwynd. After a trek of another 97 km (60 mi) east, the Hart Highway terminates atDawson Creek.

This northernmost section of Highway 97 is 965 km (600 mi) long, and travels north through largely unpopulated wilderness, intersecting the communities ofFort St. John andFort Nelson, the latter being just east of the junction ofHighway 77, travelling north to theNorthwest Territories. Here, the highway veers generally northwestward into wilderness spotted with tiny localities. As it passes over theRocky Mountains, the highway parallels theLiard River before terminating just over the BC/Yukon boundary atWatson Lake, Yukon, where the Alaska Highway is numbered asYukon Highway 1.

From south to north:^[4][5]

Regional District	Location	km[6]	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Okanagan-Similkameen	​	0.00	0.00		US 97 south –Oroville,Wenatchee	49th parallel; continues intoWashington; Okanagan Highway south end
				Canada–United States border atOroville-Osoyoos Border Crossing
	Osoyoos	4.50	2.80		Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway) –Grand Forks,Castlegar,Hope,Vancouver	Former south end ofHighway 3A concurrency.
	Oliver	24.53	15.24		Fairview Road –Mount Baldy Ski Area
	​	51.67	32.11		Highway 3A west –Keremeos,Vancouver	Former north end of Highway 3A concurrency.
	Penticton	60.41	37.54		Skaha Lake Road – City Centre
		63.35	39.36		Fairview Road, Green Mountain Road –Apex Mountain Resort
		65.19	40.51		Eckhardt Avenue – City Centre,Naramata
	Summerland	80.98	50.32		Rosedale Avenue – Town Centre
Central Okanagan	Peachland	101.81	63.26		Princeton Avenue, Beach Avenue – Town Centre
		103.91	64.57		Ponderossa Drive, 13th Street – Town Centre
	Peachland–West Kelowna boundary	109.01	67.74	—	Highway 97C west (Okanagan Connector) –Merritt,Kamloops,Vancouver	Drought Hill interchange
	West Kelowna	111.14	69.06	—	Glenrosa Road	Glenrosa Road interchange
		112.48– 113.83	69.89– 70.73	One-way pair throughWestbank
		119.81	74.45	—	Hudson Road, Westside Road	Westside Road interchange
		124.33	77.26	—	Campbell Road	Campbell Road interchange
Okanagan Lake		124.74– 125.81	77.51– 78.17	William R. Bennett Bridge
Central Okanagan	Kelowna	126.56	78.64	South end of HOV lanes[7]
					Pandosy Street, Water Street
		132.36	82.24		Highway 33 south –Big White Ski Resort,Rock Creek
		137.09	85.18		Edwards Road
				North end of HOV lanes[7]
		138.19	85.87	—	John Hindle Drive –UBC Okanagan	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		139.08	86.42		University Way – UBC Okanagan	At grade; no northbound exit
		140.31	87.18		Airport Way –Kelowna International Airport
	Lake Country	148.29	92.14		Beaver Lake Road, Glenmore Road	Winfield
		152.67	94.86	—	Pelmewash Parkway	Wood Lake Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		160.51	99.74	—	Pelmewash Parkway, Gatzke Road	Gatzke Road interchange
North Okanagan	Vernon	179.34	111.44		25th Avenue (Highway 6 east) –Lumby,Nelson
		181.44	112.74		48th Avenue –Silver Star Mountain Resort
		183.02	113.72	—	27th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Spallumcheen	188.97	117.42	—	Highway 97A north –Salmon Arm,Sicamous	Swan Lake interchange; Okanagan Highway north end; Vernon-Monte Creek Highway south end
Columbia-Shuswap	​	207.65	129.03		Salmon River Road (Highway 922:1126 north)
Thompson-Nicola	Monte Creek	269.71	167.59	399	Highway 1 (TCH) east –Salmon Arm	Monte Creek interchange; Vernon-Monte Creek Highway north end; south end of Highway 1 concurrency; exit numbers follow Highway 1
	​	271.74	168.85	396[i] 397[ii]	Hook Road	Hook Road interchange
	Kamloops	278.29	172.92	390[i] 391[ii]	Lafarge Road	Tumbleweed interchange
		281.98	175.21	386[i] 388[ii]	Kokanee Way	Kokanee Way interchange
		286.65	178.12	384	Kipp Road, Dallas Drive, Barnhartvale Road	Nina Place/Kipp Road interchange; westbound exit and entrance
		287.05	178.36	384	Kipp Road, Dallas Drive, Barnhartvale Road	Eastbound right-in/right-out
		Gap in freeway; 6 signalized intersections
		295.26	183.47	375	Battle Street – City Centre	Valleyview interchange; no eastbound exit
		295.71	183.75	374	Highway 5 (YH) north –Sun Peaks,Jasper	Yellowhead interchange; south end of Highway 5wrong-way concurrency
		299.20	185.91	370	Summit Drive – City Centre	Springhill interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		300.13	186.49	369	Columbia Street – City Centre	Sagebrush interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		301.08	187.08	368	Highway 5A south / Hillside Way –Merritt	Sagebrush interchange
		301.87	187.57	367	Pacific Way	Pacific Way interchange
		303.55	188.62	366	Copperhead Drive, Lac le Jeune Road	Copperhead interchange
		307.78	191.25	362	Highway 5 (YH) south (Coquihalla Highway) toHighway 97D /Highway 97C –Logan Lake,Merritt,Kelowna,Hope,Vancouver	Afton interchange; north end of Highway 5wrong-way concurrency; Highway 1 / Highway 97 exits freeway
	Savona	343.74	213.59	Savona Bridge (Kamloops Lake Bridge) acrossThompson River
	Cache Creek	379.77	235.98		Highway 1 (TCH) west /Highway 97C south –Hope,Vancouver	North end of Highway 1 concurrency; Cariboo Highway south end
	​	390.79	242.83		Highway 99 south –Lillooet,Pemberton	Scenic route toVancouver
Cariboo	​	483.10	300.18		Highway 24 east –Lone Butte,Bridge Lake,Little Fort
	100 Mile House	491.57	305.45		Horse Lake Road (Highway 924:1290 east)
		494.80	307.45		Canim Hendrix Lake Road (Highway 927:1142 north) –Forest Grove,Canim Lake,Hendrix Lake
	150 Mile House	568.44	353.21		Likely Road (Highway 928:1143 north)
	Williams Lake	582.63	362.03		Highway 20 west / Oliver Street – City Centre,Alexis Creek,Bella Coola
	Quesnel	699.43	434.61	—	Northstar Road	Northstar Road interchange
		700.22	435.10	Quesnel River Bridge acrossQuesnel River
		701.25	435.74		Carson Avenue, Moffat Approach –Nazko
		706.93	439.27		Highway 26 east –Wells,Barkerville
Fraser-Fort George	​	809.32	502.89		Old Cariboo Highway (Highway 941:1156 north) toHighway 16 (TCH) –Airport,McBride,Jasper	FormerHighway 97A
	Prince George	814.84	506.32		Boundary Road	Proposed Highway 16 bypass[8]
		700.22	435.10	Simon Fraser Bridge acrossFraser River
		819.72	509.35	—	Queensway, Ferry Avenue	Grade separated
		821.04	510.17		Highway 16 (TCH/YH) –Terrace,Prince Rupert,Jasper,Edmonton
		821.74	510.61	—	Massey Drive, Pine Centre Road	Massey Drive interchange
		823.00	511.39		15th Avenue
		824.14	512.10		5th Avenue
		824.77	512.49	John Hart Bridge acrossNechako River; Cariboo Highway north end; John Hart Highway south end
		825.32	512.83	—	North Nechako Road	North Nechako Road interchange
	​	977.42	607.34		Highway 39 north –Mackenzie
Fraser-Fort George– Peace River district line	​	1,015.72	631.14	Pine Pass – el. 933 m (3,061 ft)
Peace River	Chetwynd	1,125.54	699.38		Highway 29 north –Hudson's Hope,Fort St. John	South end of Highway 29 concurrency
	​	1,128.46	701.19		Highway 29 south –Tumbler Ridge	North end of Highway 29 concurrency
		1,205.75	749.22		Highway 52 south –Tumbler Ridge
	Dawson Creek	1,225.37	761.41		Highway 2 east toHighway 49 – City Centre,Grande Prairie,Edmonton	John Hart Highway north end;Alaska Highway south end
	​	1,257.17	781.17	Kiskatinaw Bridge acrossKiskatinaw River
	Taylor	1,278.47– 1,279.20	794.40– 794.86	Taylor Bridge acrossPeace River
	Fort St. John	1,297.04	805.94		100th Street –Cecil Lake,Fairview	Connects to unofficialHighway 103
	​	1,309.56	813.72		Highway 29 south –Hudson's Hope,Chetwynd
Northern Rockies	Fort Nelson	1,676.71– 1,678.85	1,041.86– 1,043.19	Passes through Fort Nelson
	​	1,706.52	1,060.38		Highway 77 north (Liard Highway) –Fort Liard,Fort Simpson
		1,819.57	1,130.63	Summit Pass – 1,267 m (4,157 ft)
		1,985.48	1,233.72	Liard River Bridge acrossLiard River
		2,045.67	1,271.12	Coal River Bridge acrossCoal River
Unorganized	​	2,128.1– 2,129.3	1,322.3– 1,323.1	1.2 km (0.7 mi) section inYukon (Remains as BC 97)[9]
		2,132.0– 2,140.4	1,324.8– 1,330.0	8.4 km (5.2 mi) section inYukon (Remains as BC 97)[9]
		2,142.2– 2,144.6	1,331.1– 1,332.6	2.4 km (1.5 mi) section inYukon (Remains as BC 97)[9]
Unorganized (Stikine Region)	​	2,159.23	1,341.68	Hyland River Bridge acrossHyland River
		2,189.47	1,360.47		Hwy 1 (Alaska Highway) –Watson Lake,Whitehorse	60th parallel; continues intoYukon
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       HOV only       Incomplete access       Route transition

• Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia by British Columbia Driving & Transportation
• Old Cariboo Highway, U.Wash Digital Collections

• British Columbia provincial highways
• Dawson Creek
• Fort St. John, British Columbia
• Transport in Kamloops
• Transport in Kelowna
• Transport in Penticton
• Transport in Prince George, British Columbia
• Vernon, British Columbia
• West Kelowna
• Highways in the Okanagan

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from July 2016
• All articles needing additional references
• Infobox road instances in British Columbia
• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
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