This trail is part of the historical native peoples ‘grease trail’. The Blackwater Trail (also known as the West Road River trail) was created by First Nations people (specifically the Carrier/Dakelh and Nuxalk nations) as a traditional trade route, commonly known as a “Grease Trail”. Sir Alexander Mackenzie later used this route during his 1793 expedition to the Pacific Ocean.
This trail was reopened by Dwight Dodge in the 1970s, and is connected to several other trails (Colins Telegraph Trail, etc), ultimately starting at the confluence of the Fraser and Blackwater (West Road) Rivers and making its way to the Pacific Ocean in Bella Coola. The route was designated an official heritage trail in 1987.
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