The Trail

Welcome to the Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail Community Knowledge Keeper.

With the participation of six First Nations communities, the Carrier Chilcotin Tribal Council and the Grease Trail Working Group (now the Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail Steering Committee) have been working to revitalize the trail corridor, to offer a means of sharing the rich cultural histories from the trail, and to ensure the trail is valued and protected into the future.

The trail is a vital corridor of exchange.  It has been for over 6000 years, from when oolichan grease dripped from the boxes carried by First Nations traders, staining the trail route, to today, when communities use the trail to connect to each other and to the land.  From the interior to the coast, the mighty Fraser River to the Pacific Ocean, the Nuxalk-Carrier Grease trail has been host to many travellers.  It is their histories and stories that make the trail such a vital feature.  The route traverses history; it tells the stories of ancestors, of animals, of families, landscapes, culture and practice.

Our Community Knowledge Keeper site is a place to share knowledge of and from the trail.  It is a place where youth can travel the route online, listening to traditional place names spoken by their elders and scrolling through pictures of family members on the trail.  The site is also a place where anyone can learn about the trail, to follow the route Sir Alexander Mackenzie took in 1793 and to also learn about the people who showed him the way.  The Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail was integral to the establishment of Canada as a country and it remains integral to the people who continue to use it.  Its landscapes are diverse, from the dry interior plateau to the coastal valley bottom, and so are those who live along and use the route: First Nations, ranchers, guide outfitters, and recreationists. 

We invite you to explore the trail through this site.  It may not be the same as riding a horse through the Rainbow Mountains but we’re excited about having created a space to learn more about the trail, and to have elders and trail users share their rich knowledge with us.  Happy trails!