Caribo / Chilcotin
The Cariboo is B.C.'s big cowboy country--rolling range land and meadows between dramatic mountain ranges interspersed with forests and innumerable lakes. It is a wonderful area to explore off the beaten track. If you like wide open spaces, great lake and river fishing, canoeing, swimming, horses, cowboys, wildlife, history, the great outdoors and friendly people, the Cariboo/Chilcotin is for you.
The Chilcotin is located between the Fraser River and B.C.'s coastal mountains and is known for its hot, sunny summer and clear winter days. It contains some of B.C.'s wildest rivers, deepest forests, highest mountains and biggest cattle ranches.
The history of the area is of particular interest. The fabulous gold rush days of over 100 years ago are long gone, but their romance and flavour is still evident. In particular, Barkerville is a completely restored gold rush town with operating stores and live stage performances. As well, almost every village and town has a fascinating museum of the history of its region--usually staffed by very knowledgeable locals.
Also visit the rodeos at Clinton, 100 Mile House, Anahim Lake and Williams Lake, the world famous canoeing circuit at Bowron Lakes Provincial Park, the gold rush town of Wells and rugged Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.
Special days in the Cariboo/Chilcotin: May - Frontier Week (100 Mile House); Theatre Royal Spring Show (Barkerville); Little Britches Rodeo (100 Mile House); Alkali Lake Rodeo (Alkali); June - Sugarcane Rodeo (Williams Lake); 26th Annual Fiddle Contest (Quesnel); "Only in Lillooet Days" (Lillooet); Logger Sports Festival (Williams Lake); Frontier Days Rodeo (Riske Creek); Children's Festival (Williams Lake); Theatre Royal Gala Premier (Barkerville); Williams Lake Stampede (Williams Lake); July - Bridge Lake Rodeo (Bridge Lake); Gold Panning Championships (Barkerville); Horsefly Rodeo (100 Mile House); Anahim Lake Stampede (Anahim Lake); Billy Barker Days (Quesnel); Barlow Creek County Music Festival (Quesnel); The Great Cariboo Horseback Ride (100 Mile House); August - Traditional Music/Storytelling Festival (Williams Lake); Heritage Days (Hat Creek Ranch); Horsefly Fall Fair (Horsefly); Cariboo Fall Fair & Rodeo (Williams Lake); September - Quesnel Fall Fair (Quesnel); Ranch Hand Competition (Hat Creek Ranch).
Green Lake:
Green Lake is at the southern end of the Cariboo Lake Country, beginning approx. 10 kms. to the east of 70 Mile House. It is about 15 kms. long and has a beautiful turquoise green colour. The lake is warm and good for swimming, fishing and bird-watching.Tyaughton Lake:
"Tyaughton" in the Indian language means "lake of the jumping fish" and the lake retains that reputation for rainbow trout. It has beautiful clear water, perfect for fishing, boating and summer swimming. You can also hike and ride horseback into the adjacent alpine areas and canoe and mountain bike (watch out for big horn sheep and mountain goats). In winter you can hunt, cross-country ski, ice fish and snowmobile on the frozen lake. This is gold rush country where you'll find the remains of gold mining ghost towns. The richest gold claim in Canada (the Bralorne Pioneer Mine) is located near Gold Bridge. The mine produced over $140 million of gold during its 50 year history which ended in 1970. You can goldpan in Gold Bridge and visit the remnants of mines and the ghost towns of Pioneer Mine and Bralorne. The famous Tyax Mountain Lake Resort is located on Tyaughton Lake. The Resort has a restaurant, bar and other facilities which are open to the public.Horsefly Lake:
Horsefly (pop. 130) is a small community located 56 kms. east of 150 Mile House. It sits on the banks of the Horsefly River, the location of the second largest sockeye salmon run in B.C.--an awesome sight in late August and early September. Horsefly Lake is a great fishing lake. While at Horsefly Lake you might want to consider a trip further north to Barkerville (4 - 5 hours north on gravel roads). It is the site of the first gold discovered in the Cariboo in 1859. Visit the Jack Lynn Museum in Horsefly to get a flavour of the gold rush era. Horsefly Lake is about 13 kms. east of Horsefly. Special Days: Fall Fair - August; Salmon Run in Horsefly River - late August/September.Bridge Lake:
Bridge Lake is in the South Cariboo lake country, an area of hundreds of lakes loaded with rainbow trout, lake trout and kokanee. It is also ranch country--being stopped by dozy cattle lying in the middle of back roads is not unusual. There are plenty of places to join a trail ride or take western riding lessons. This is an area for those who believe less is more--it is tranquil, beautiful and perfect for those who like exploring far from the madding crowd. Special Day: Rodeo - July.
Sheridan Lake:
Sheridan Lake is yet another of the many famous lakes in this region, located in the Interlakes district of Cariboo Chilcotin. The lake is 1659 hectares (4098 acres) and spring fed, with miles of shoreline and shoals. It is well stocked, 300,000 annually, with many fish reaching trophy size. Sheridan Lake has a store, cafe and gas station to provide services and facilities for the large number of avid fishers and vacationers who come to this gorgeous lake. Activities in the area include FISHING - trout, trolling, fly fishing, Trophy Rainbows (May through October), swimming (May through September), water-skiing and other water sports, hiking, hunting, wildlife viewing, x-country skiing & snowmobiling. Amenities close-by include a store, gas station, tackle shop and several boat launches.The Lake is located approx. 5 1/2 hours from Vancouver, B.C., right off Highway 24, just a few miles east of 100 Mile House, on Highway 97. Paved roads lead all the way to Sheridan Lake so access is possible for all types of vehicles. With 160 kilometres of shoreline, this large lake provides an excellent habitat for Rainbow Trout. The lake is dotted with islands, shoals and shallow reed beds, providing a great environment for the insects upon which the Rainbows feed aggressively. Huge populations of freshwater shrimp exist in Sheridan Lake, shrimp being the main diet of the trout in this lake. The Rainbows here are noted for growing to exceptional sizes (up to 17 pounds) which would explain why so many anglers regard the fishing here as "incredible". Representative of the healthy Rainbow Trout populations are the exceptional creel counts from this lake which account for roughly 5% of the total angler effort in the Cariboos, or 12,000 fish in a season. Also exceptional is the average size of 3.7 pounds noted in these creel counts. Sheridan Lake is also known for its healthy population of Brook Trout.