This community lies east of the northern Rocky Mountains in the Peace River region along the Alaska Highway at Mile 300.The town is approximately a four hour drive from the nearest urban centre, Fort St. John, but could potentially take six hours under winter driving conditions.The Alaska Highway both north and south of Fort Nelson is most often very well plowed in the winter and offers scenic views year round.

According to the 2016 Canadian Census, the population was 3,366, a drop of 5.5% from the 2011 Census.