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B.C.'s biggest city, so check into the hotel you've booked in advance before joining the locals for dinner at the popular Nancy O's (nancyos.ca) – blue-cheese burger recommended. DAY 2: Prince George to Prince rupert It's an 8 a.m. departure the next day, with the dew-glistened landscape slowly warming up alongside the train. By this stage of the trip, you'll likely have gotten to know your fellow passengers and will be chatting away like old friends. But it's the attendants who are especially worth quizzing. Many have been working the Jasper- Rupert route for years and if you ask them how many "whiskers" (years of service) they have, they'll soon launch into tales of the local communities, as well as the quirky characters who've hopped aboard over the years. They'll also point out photo hot spots throughout the day. With 12 hours of hypnotic trundling ahead, the scenery becomes evermore spectacular as day two unfolds. You'll pass tiny settlements like Telkwa and Cedarvale, as the snaggle-tooth Coast Mountains rise ahead. By mid-afternoon, the train is threading between these peaks, some seemingly as close as your fingertips. Sheer rock shades the windows, rushing waterfalls plunge into vast lakes and frothy rivers roil alongside, disappearing and re-emerging among the trees. You'll also encounter precarious-looking bridge crossings and long pitch-black tunnels, reminders of the huge challenges of building this line in the first place. A short stop in Smithers is day two's main leg stretch. But by evening, the train draws alongside the expansive Skeena River, skirting the bird-busy shoreline towards oceanfront Prince Rupert. It's the end of the line and time to reconnect with the real world. If You Go: Economy one-way fares for the Jasper-Prince Rupert train start at $125 per adult. The train departs on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Jasper and Prince Rupert with an overnight stop in Prince George. Find more info at viarail.ca n BCAA Members save 10% on the best available fare on a VIA Rail train to anywhere in Canada. If you're also a VIA Préférence Member, receive a one-time bonus of 100 VIA Préférence points on your first trip. viarail.ca/en/caa MEMBERS SAVE (station) John Lee, courtesy VIA Rail Canada summer 2015 bCA A .Com 19 B.C. trains destinations The LiTTLe engine ThaT CouLd The Jasper-Prince Rupert route isn't b.C.'s only hidden-gem train. Running between Lillooet and Seton Portage, the tiny Kaoham shuttle community rail service takes an hour in each direction, threading a narrow ledge between towering peaks and a glittering lake. En route you may encounter a menagerie of wildlife, from bears to mountain goats and bighorn sheep. The best part? It's just $10 return – but book ahead as space is limited. tsalalh.net/shuttle.html The Rocket trundles through shifting scenes of forest, mountain and water. McBride Station provides a handy stop for coffee.

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