Fort Nelson Travel Guide

Fort Nelson is home to over 4,700 residents. An additional 1,600 residents have settled in the surrounding Northern Rockies Regional District area. Aboriginal people make up about 15% of the total population of the NRRD with over 500 members on the Fort Nelson First Nations reserve alone

Fort Nelson  experiences seasonal population increases. In winter, logging and oil rig activities bring in approximately 2,000 people and during the summer tourist season, April through September, about 140,000 visitors travel through the area.

Fort Nelson is located at Historical Mile 300 on the Alaska Highway, 454 km north of Dawson Creek.

Fort Nelson is the service centre of the Northern Rockies Regional District, an area of 85,808 square kilometres (9500 square miles), which comprises approximately 10% of the total area of the province of British Columbia.

Fort Nelson  is situated at an elevation of 1,383 feet (421.5 meters).

Fort Nelson  enjoys a dry climate with an annual average precipitation of 448.5 mm (17.7") and 106 frost free days.

Fort Nelson has an average temperature November through February of -18°C and June through August, of 15.5°C. Temperature in summer is often in the 30s and in winter it can dip to -40°C. Occasionally the area experiences significant wind chill although this is not the norm.