Princeton

Princeton is a small town of about 2,800 (2016) people in the Similkameen region of British Columbia. Princeton was born of the mining industry, however today the town relies on forestry, ranching, and tourism.

Understand

Similkameen river in fall

Princeton is centred on seven blocks of businesses along Bridge Street and five blocks on Vermilion Avenue; there are also businesses along British Columbia Highway 3.

Historically, the area's main industry has been mining—copper, gold, coal, and some platinum—the town's biggest employers are Copper Mountain Mine and a sawmill owned by Weyerhaeuser, along with a few smaller timber companies, such as Princeton Wood Preservers and Princeton Post and Rail.

History

Before European contact, the land around today's Princeton was known among First Nations people as a source of red ochre. Beginning no later than 1846, fur traders, settlers, and miners established trails connecting what was then known as Vermilion Forks to the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. John Fall Allison became, in 1858, the first permanent settler of European ancestry. To this day, the site of his home functions locally like a kilometre zero, with creeks east of Princeton having names like "Five Mile" based on their distance from that location. The town he founded was renamed "Prince Town" (later corrupted to "Princeton") to honour an 1860 visit to eastern Canada by Prince Edward (later King Edward VII).

From 1909 to 1915, the railways arrived, with the Kettle Valley Railway (later Canadian Pacific) connecting Princeton to the Great Northern.

Until 1961, Princeton was home to a brewery, the Princeton Brewing Company. Until the 1940s, the brewery kept its beer cool in the Vermilion Cave. The cave, which held up to 20 railway cars at a time, was largely demolished to make way for the Hope-Princeton Highway, part of the Crowsnest Highway (British Columbia Highway 3).

Beginning in the 1980s, Princeton began to revitalize its downtown, a plan that included red brick sidewalks and new streetlights. In the 1990s, they adopted a "heritage" theme, with many businesses converting their exteriors to match architectural styles from roughly a century earlier.

The name Vermilion Forks survives in the name of Vermilion Forks Indian Reserve No. 1, which is immediately adjacent to the town of Princeton, to the east, and is one of the reserves of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, whose head offices are in Hedley.

Climate

Princeton is just east of the Cascade mountains, giving the town a rain shadow effect whereby the community receives very little precipitation relative to areas on the windward side of the Cascade mountains. Princeton is one of the sunniest places in British Columbia with 2088 hours of sunshine annually. The 323 days per year with measurable sunshine, defined by having a minimum of 6 minutes of sunshine in a day, is the most in the province, and one of the highest in Canada.

Get in

By car

BC Highway 3 (the Crowsnest Highway) bisects the town east-west. It travels east from Vancouver and Hope and west from Osoyoos in the Okanagan. The section of the highway between Hope and Princeton is often referred to as the Hope-Princeton highway.

BC Highway 5A heads north from town and connects with BC Highway 97C (the Okanagan Connector) about 20 km east of Merritt.

By bus

• Mountain Man Mike's Bus Service, ☏ +1-778-382-7729, info@mountainmanmikes.ca. Twice per week service between Kaslo and Vancouver with stops in Balfour, Nelson, Castlegar, Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Rock Creek, Osoyoos, Keremeos, Princeton, Manning Provincial Park, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, and New Westminster. Travel time to Princeton from Kalso is 6 hours, from Nelson is 5 hours, from Castlegar is 4.25 hours, from Grand Forks is 3 hours, from Osoyoos is 1.25 hours, from Hope is 1.75 hours, from Abbotsford is 3 hours, and from Vancouver is 4.25 hours. This service provider also offers a weekly route between Kalso and Calgary via Nelson. (updated Mar 2022)

By plane

There is a small airstrip (CYDC) on the outskirts of town. It has no commercial service, but the 3,932 ft (1,198 m) runway is accessible to private aircraft.

Visitor information

• 1 Princeton Visitor Centre, 105 Highway 3 East, ☏ +1 250 295-3103. 9AM-5PM. Tourist information center with brochures and information on the local area, souvenirs, picnic tables and access to the river. 

Get around

Princeton is along the Tulameen River, which flows eastwards through the walkable downtown area. It joins the Simalkameen River, which flows eastwards, and forms a southern boundary to the town. BC Highway 3, the Crowsnest Highway, runs east and west. It forms a southern border to downtown. Vermilion Ave and Bridge Street form a triangle with Highway 3. Many restaurants and hotels are found here.

Beyond the downtown area, you will benefit from a bike, car, or taxi to reach the rest of the town. Highway 5A, the Princeton-Kamloops Highway, originates from downtown and heads north.

By public transit

• BC Transit (South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit System), toll-free: +1-844-442-2212. Bus route 50 three days per week between Penticton and Princeton with stops in Keremeos. Travel time to Princeton from Penticton is 1 hour 30 minutes and from Keremeos is 40 minutes. (updated Mar 2022)

See

Princeton and District Museum

• 1 Princeton and District Museum, 167 Vermilion Ave, ☏ +1 250 295-7588. 10AM-5PM; fall hours: F Sa noon-4PM. The Pollard wing houses one of the most extensive mineral and fossil collections in British Columbia. The museum also contains an extensive collection of documents and artifacts which tell the story of Princeton's historical significance. By donation. (updated Nov 2014)

Do

• 1 Kettle Valley Railway (trail access at Stout St between Similkameen Ave and Granby Way). Hiking, biking and cross-country ski trail. This spectacular portion of the Kettle Valley Railway bed runs through the valley of the Tulameen River, with plenty of birds, flowers, mammals and minerals to view. It is feasible year round. It runs from Princeton or Coalmont, about 18 km. The hike proceeds through the tunnel which goes underneath the ridge which separates the Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers just before they join. This tunnel is over a 1,000 ft (300 m) long. After the tunnel, a bridge takes you to the north shore of the Tulameen River. After about 1½ km, you will see on your right the red ochre cliffs which provided some of the vermilion for the rock paintings and war paint of the Similkameen First Nations, and for the name given the early community of Vermillion Forks. After another kilometre, you can view on your right the fantastic shapes of hoodoos, stone pillars which have been shaped by erosion of wind and water. (updated Apr 2023)
• 2 China Ridge Ski Area (at the end of Snowpatch Road). Located on Bear Mountain, it offers classic cross-country ski trails for all skill levels and are well maintained. (updated Apr 2023)

Nearby

• 3 Bromley Rock Provincial Park, Highway 3 (follow Hwy 3 about 21 km east from the intersection between Hwy 3 and Hwy 5A). This popular swimming hole is a refreshing break on a hot Interior afternoon's drive. Buy a take out meal in Princeton and eat it on the sandy beach along the Similkameen River. In late July and early August, the water is warm and clean. For the brave-hearted, join the locals climbing the rock and diving into the deep pool below. Fishing is good upstream from the picnic area in spring. (updated Nov 2014)
• 4 Otter Lake Provincial Park, Highway 3 (from downtown drive north over the bridge crossing the Tulameen River, take the first left and follow the road for 33 km). Located on the west side of Otter Lake, the park has a campground, boat launch on to Otter Lake, and some short walking trails. Outside of the park, along the east side of the lake, is a portion of the Kettle Valley Trail, which can be accessed toward the north and from the south end of the lake. (updated Apr 2023)

Buy

• 1 Winking Pedlar, 8 - 136 Tapton Ave, ☏ +1 250-295-0820. M-F 9AM-4PM, Sa 9AM-3PM. Gift shop: natural soaps, jewellery, hand-crafted decor by local artists. (updated May 2018)

Eat

If you are looking for something quick and easy, Princeton has fast-food restaurants like Subway and A&W on Highway 3. Along the downtown streets are sit-down options.

• 1 Little Greek Grill, 117 Bridge St (At Bridge St and Princeton-Kamloops Highway), ☏ +1 250 295-6644, fax: +1 250 295-6659, littlecreekgrill@shaw.ca. 4PM–9:30PM. Features Greek, Mediterranean, pasta, and pizza. Previously known as Santo's. (updated Aug 2017)
• 2 Mikado Japanese Restaurant, 130 Bridge St (same building as Ponderosa Motel), ☏ +1 250 295-3337. M-F 11AM-7:30PM. Specializes in sushi, teriyaki, sashimi, and tempura. $2.25-17 for a sushi roll. (updated Nov 2014)
• 3 Thomasina's, 279 Bridge St (across from Cooper's Foods grocery store), ☏ +1 250 295-3810. M-Sa 9AM-4PM. Eggs, toast, granola, scones and French toast for breakfast. Paninis/sandwiches, tapas, soups and pasta for lunch. The breads, baked goods and pasta are all made in-house. Breakfast $3-6, lunch $6-14. (updated Nov 2014)

Sleep

• 1 Canada's Best Value Princeton Inn & Suites, 169 Highway 3 (Between Bridge Street and Burton Ave), ☏ +1 250 295-3537, fax: +1 250 295-3547. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Outdoor pool, sauna, free continental breakfast. $100-130. (updated Aug 2017)
• 2 Cedars Motel, 139 3rd St, ☏ +1 250 295-3237, fax: +1 250 295-3237, alanjones@cablerocket.com. Small, 15-unit motel. Features wireless internet, microwave ovens, refrigerators, and air conditioning. 
• 3 Evergreen Motel, 250 Highway 3 East, ☏ +1 250 295-7179, toll-free: +1-888-295-7179, fax: +1 250 295-7169, info@evergreenmotelprinceton.ca. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. Has 20 rooms, some with full kitchen. Outdoor pool, Wi-Fi and free breakfast. $68 (single), $78 (double) in high season. (updated Nov 2014)

Cope

• 2 Princeton General Hospital, 98 Ridgewood Dr, ☏ +1 250-295-3233. Has an emergency department that operates 24/7. (updated Apr 2023)

Go next

Routes through Princeton

Hope ← Manning Provincial Park ←	W  E	→ Keremeos → Osoyoos / Penticton via
Kamloops ← Merritt ←	N  S	→ ENDS at