Highway 20 is scenic and very sparsely populated. It begins in Williams Lake at its juncture with
Highway 97. It rises gradually for to the crossing of the
Fraser River at Sheep Creek Bridge, from which it ascends via a series of steep switchbacks to the Chilcotin Plateau. Prior to improvements of the late 20th Century, including the Sheep Creek Bridge, it crossed the Fraser via a 1910s style suspension bridge, which was like those farther south at Gang Ranch-Dog Creek and Lillooet. At it passes the site of the
Williams Lake LORAN-C Tower, part of the maritime navigation system. This tower was dismantled in October 2011. At it passes through
Riske Creek (population 165) then at the hamlet of
Hanceville (population 68). Around it passes
Anahim Reserve, a
Chilcotin community before reaching
Alexis Creek (population 317) at . From Alexis Creek it is to the next town,
Tatla Lake (population 147). farther West is
Nimpo Lake which serves as a float plane base for the region. Just west of Nimpo Lake the highway crosses the
Dean River before reaching Anahim Lake (population 163) and the adjacent Indian reserve at . west of Anahim Lake, the highway enters
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park, and later, it crosses into the
Central Coast Regional District at
Heckman Pass. After the -long steep section alongside Young Creek Canyon, the highway meets the
Atnarko River, and follows it west for to where the Atnarko merges with the
Talchako River to form the
Bella Coola River. Highway 20 then follows the Bella Coola River for to a bridge over Burnt Bridge Creek, at which point it exits the Park. After continuing to follow the Bella Coola River for another , the highway reaches
Hagensborg, then another to the centre of Bella Coola (population 2500), and then another to the
BC Ferry terminal. ==Major intersections==