Region

A land without limits

The vast landscape of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast stretches from the wildness of the Pacific Coast to the rolling Cariboo Mountains, with forests, hidden lakes, craggy peaks and golden plains set in between. This is a region with a past rich in the spirit of adventure, a land settled by entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts, artists and explorers, an enticing and irresistible place that continues today to lure those with a yen for discovery. The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast is truly a magical land; vast and bewitching and aptly named the ‘land without limits.’

The Cariboo

Bordered by the Cariboo Mountains in the east and the Fraser River in the west, the Cariboo stretches north to the Blackwater River and south to the towns of Clinton and Lillooet. It is here that adventurers and historians follow the original Cariboo Waggon Road alongside historic pioneer cabins, groves of aspen trees, clusters of red paintbrush flowers and trout-filled creeks. The Cariboo is home to the historic town of Barkerville, which offers a glimpse into the heady days of the 1860’s gold rush. Visitors to the Cariboo are invited to explore any number of historic sites, saddle up at a ranch, bring their mountain bike and explore well-developed trail networks, don snowshoes or cross-country skis in the winter, experience the spine-tingling call of a loon on a trout-rich lake, view glacial-carved box canyons, and seek out wildlife such as bear, elk, moose, deer and bighorn sheep.

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The Chilcotin

Stretching west beyond the Fraser River, a burnished golden plateau meets the peaks of the Coast Mountain Range. People are scarcer than wildlife, and the landscape is larger than life. Here visitors can hike beyond the trails, fish in isolated lakes, reach high alpine with a packhorse trek and raft churning whitewater. Remote and diverse, the Chilcot, as locals call it, offers a wide array of wildlife and natural phenomena. Farwell Canyon boasts mystical hoodoo formations and scenic sand dunes while Tweedsmuir Provincial Park (British Columbia’s largest, spanning 981,000 hectares) offers flower-carpeted meadows, glacier-draped mountains, tumbling waterfalls and old growth forests. The Junction Sheep Range Park is home to almost 600 California bighorn sheep, thought to be the largest herd in North America. Where the Chilcotin River meets the Fraser River, some of the province’s largest ranches are located; some of which offer the chance to ride the range among sagebrush and prickly pear cactus.

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The Coast

The dramatic Coast region reaches from above Rivers Inlet to include the southern end of Princess Royal Island. A jumble of deep fjords and a scattering of emerald islands enchant and offer endless exploration opportunities by boat (ferry, kayak, canoe or yacht). First Nations’ villages, rich in heritage, speckle the coast and welcome travelers arriving on the BC Ferries Discovery Coast trips. White sand beaches, lofty old growth forests, isolated hot springs and massive mountains appear as they were centuries ago. Inland, giant cedars grace mountainsides and yield to wide valleys, a Mecca for outdoor lovers. Visitors can fish the rivers, don hiking boots and step quietly to view mountain goat, caribou, black bear and other wildlife, drift a canoe on a pristine lake and be astounded by the mystical tranquility.

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