Beaver River Airport

Military obsolescence and economic non-viability. The airport was an intermediate field on the Northwest Staging Route, which was crucial during WWII. After the war, the need for this specific military air corridor diminished significantly. With no nearby population center or economic driver (like mining or tourism) to support it, there was no civilian justification to fund the maintenance and operation of such a remote airfield.

The airport is abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery clearly shows the outlines of its two former runways, but they are heavily overgrown with shrubs and trees, rendering them completely unserviceable. The site is returning to nature, and there are no remaining buildings or infrastructure. It is located in an extremely remote and uninhabited area of northern British Columbia and is not used for any official purpose.

Beaver River Airport was a historically significant component of the Northwest Staging Route (NWSR) during World War II. Constructed rapidly in 1942-1943, its primary function was to serve as an emergency and intermediate landing strip for the thousands of American-built military aircraft being ferried to Alaska (for the defense of the Aleutian Islands) and to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act. It was one of many such airfields constructed in tandem with the Alaska Highway to support the war effort. Operations consisted mainly of transient military aircraft, including fighters (P-39, P-63), bombers (A-20, B-25), and transports (C-47), providing a vital safety link on the long and often treacherous flight between the major airfields at Fort Nelson, BC, and Watson Lake, Yukon.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening the airport. The cost of clearing the runways, rebuilding infrastructure, and maintaining the facility would be prohibitive. Modern aircraft have significantly longer ranges, reducing the need for such intermediate emergency fields. The region's current aviation needs are served by the well-maintained airports at Fort Nelson and Watson Lake. Therefore, Beaver River Airport is considered permanently closed.