Your Ticket to Ride - THE GOLD RUSH TRAIL
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Home PageTourBC 2008, heads out of Hope and up the Fraser Canyon to Lytton following the Fraser River. At this point we start following the Thompson River, east and north, to Spence's Bridge where we cross over the river and head north to Ashcroft. From Ashcroft, we carry on north through Cache Creek where we join Highway 97, cycle passed historic Hat Creek, Clinton, with a small detour into Chasm, and on to 70 Mile House. At this point, we leave the highway and continue north along the side of Green Lake & Watch Lake into Lone Butte. Continuing on back roads we skirt Horse Lake into 100 Mile House.
From 100 Mile House, our route follows Highway 97, through Lac La Hache, to the Mission Road. We will use this to bring us into Williams Lake. Exiting Williams Lake on MacKenzie Ave, we re-join Highway 97 and follow it through McLeese Lake, and a series of small communities, in some cases ghost towns, to just south of Quesnel. Here we will leave the highway and follow the road around the east side of Dragon Lake and then south to our campground.
Leaving Quesnel, we exit on Highway 26 and begin the last stage of our adventure. This road is very hilly and takes us all the way into Barkerville.
Day One
Our adventure starts in the pretty little town of Hope, BC flanked on three sides by mountains and sitting in a wide seeping curve of the mighty Fraser River. The community of Hope was and is still a key transportation node - the railway (at one time 3 railways), the Coquihalla and Fraser Rivers, Highways 1,3, 5, & 7 all meet up in Hope. Started as Fort Hope, a Hudson's Bay post set up to supply miners heading north in search of gold and wealth, transportation was initially provided by sternwheelers to Fort Hope and Fort Yale. The rudimentary trail was also used and rail construction started in the 1880s. The Quintette (or Othello) tunnels were not completed until 1918. Today it makes a wonderful launching point for our tour following the Gold Rush Trail. During your short visit in Hope, be sure to check out some of the over two dozen chainsaw carvings located throughout the town.
We leave the town by crossing over the Fraser and the railway, and heading north on Highway 1 as we make our way up the Fraser Canyon. Highway 1 is the TransCanada Highway and can be fairly busy. The road is mainly 2 lanes (one in each direction) with passing sections, climbing lanes, and good shoulders. The views you will encounter on this stretch are spectacular with the river on one side and mountains on both sides.
Very quickly we will enter into Yale, BC's oldest and most historic communities, having been the bustling steamship navigation capital during the Gold Rush. At the height of Gold Fever in 1858, Yale boasted over 20,000 residents. Currently, the population of Yale is approximately 200. Also started as a Hudson's Bay trading post, Yale is the town where British Colmbia was signed on as part of the confederation of Canada in 1870. We will be stopping for water at the Museum and participants are encouraged to spend a few minutes checking out the exhibits and the area.
Just beyond Yale, we encounter the first of 7 tunnels. These tunnels were built to overcome the steep walls along the Faser River. Most of the tunnels are short and therefore unlit. There is usually a sidewalk on one side for those who choose to walk through the tunnels. Two of the tunnels are longer, lit and have a push button so that motorists are alerted to presence of cyclists in the tunnel. We require you to have a red flashing light on the rear of your bicycle to provide additional visibility.
The first 3 tunnels are fairly close together After exiting Sailor Bar Tunnel, you will pass a small community called Spuzzum. Spuzzum was the location of the first ferry crossing of the Fraser. The ferry did not last long before being replace by the Alexandra Bridge. From the modern day bridge, you can see to your left the location of the original suspended bridge crossing a little further up-stream. After crossing the modern bridge on the highway, there is a rest area on the left and you can hike a short way down and cross the now neglected suspended bridge.
A few more kilometres and you will go through the Alexandra Tunnel just before coming to our lunch stop at the Elvis Rocks Cafe. The restaurant presents history of different kind. From our lunch stop we travel through 2 more tunnels before arriving at the Hell's Gate Sky-Ride. For those who have not taken the Sky-Ride before, it is a must-do. The Sky-Ride goes over the deepest and narrowest point on the Fraser River. In the spring, the river can be 100 ft deep at this point. Hell's Gate was described by Simon Fraser as a place no human being should venture.
Alexandra Suspension Bridge Hell's Gate Sky-Ride
Our last tunnel is between Hell's Gate and Boston Bar. Boston Bar is named after a group of American miners who got lucky in 1858. Boston Bar grew as a bustling roadhouse, where, it was said, Boston Bar Alex ran one of the best shops along the way. Today, it is an excellent departure point for outdoor enthusiasts, like ourselves. Our water stop will be at a pull-out just before the start of the climb up Jack-Ass Mountain. Take a moment, at the top of the climb to stop and look back down the Fraser River - the view is quite amazing.
After Jack-Ass Mountain, the terrain is up and down all the way into Lytton. On this day's ride, we are travelling through a number of different Indian Reserves. Just before Lytton, we pass through the Siska Band Land. The Siska Art Gallery and Museum showcases a unique collection of Native soapstone carvings and other traditional art. Shortly after the Siska turn-off, there is a rest area and then we reach Lytton. The town is off the road following Highway 12, but from the highway you can see the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers. The waters are quite distinct - the Fraser is quite brown and muddy and the Thompson is quite blue as shown in the picture below. For the gold rush prospectors, Lytton, or "the Forks, was a meeting place, primarily to stock up on supplies. Our stop for the night is Kumsheen Rafting Resort. Kumsheen means meeting place and is located 6 km north of Lytton.
While at Kumsheen resort, you will be issued with an arm-band which will be colour coded. You must wear this arm-band to get into the facilities (pool, etc) and the colour will determine which sitting you are in for meals.
Our first day is quite hilly, has the challenge of the tunnels, and is likely to be quite hot. Lytton is known as being Canada's hot spot. There are some services along the way, but not very many. It is recommended that you carry at least 2 water bottles in addition to a hydration pack for this section of the tour. Although our staff will be monitoring the route, opportunities to stop and/or turn around are few and far between.
Thompson (lower) and Fraser Rivers converge at Lytton Kumsheen Resort
Day Two
After our hot and hilly first day, we have our shortest day. You can expect the temperatures to remain warm, but as we head north, the weather will be getting cooler. The first leg of our ride, we continue on Highway 1, following the Thompson River. The views both up the Thompson and back along the river are marvellous and we are likely to catch a glimpse of rafters and kayakers on the river. This section of the highway is narrower and the shoulders are not quite as generous in places. Our first stop will be approximately 32 km north at Spence's Bridge where we will have a water stop. Here the highway crosses the river, the land opens up and sagebrush hills begin to unfold before you. This is rain-shadow country; semi-desert plateaus shielded by the Coast Mountains to the west and Columbian Mountains to the east. The town of Spence's Bridge is famous for its steelhead fishing.
After our stop, we cross the river and continue north. The river is now on our right and we glimpse the occasional ginseng farm. Our lunch stop will be at the Red Hill Rest Area. After climbing up Oregon Jack hill, this stop will be a welcome respite. It is just another 15 km into Ashcroft, at least 5 of these kilometres are downhill. Before the turn-off, we will pass the Ashcroft Manor. This manor was an important roadhouse along the Waggon Road (Gold Rush Trail) with a distinctly British flavour, complete with elm trees and a race track.
The town of Ashcroft is tucked away beside the Thompson River; just a few kilometres off of Highway 1. Surrounded by rolling ranch country, tumbleweed, sagebrush and sand, this is a town straight from the legends of the wild west. Ashcroft was born almost over night, when it became the site for the most northerly point of the Canadian Pacific Railway. As you will likely have some extra time in Ashcroft, I recommend doing a short walking tour of the town and visit to the Museum which portrays the region's pioneer history, as well as the history of the native bands who first lived in the area. As part of our visit we will be eating in the Ashcroft Opera House.
Day Three
From Ashcroft, on our third day, we start by climbing back up to Highway 1 and continuing north. At Cache Creek we leave Highway 1 and continue north on Highway 97. Highway 97 is less busy than Highway 1 and significant sections of it have been up-graded. There are shoulders, though the width and condition varies.
Cache Creek has an interesting history. On route to the gold fields, exhausted travelers often sought refuge near a small creek at a halfway point where they could "cache" some of their belongings overnight. It is also rumoured that as "cache" means to hide, that this is where bandits buried gold they had stolen from a wagon train. This stolen booty has never been found.
Although this is the halfway point on the Gold Rush Trail (from Fort Langley), it is not quite the halfway point on our adventure. From the junction we travel north, passing Hat Creek Ranch 11 km on the Bonaparte River. The ranch, owned by Donald McLean and his family, was another stopping point for miners heading up to Barkerville. Here they could get a spot on a dirt floor to unroll their blankets and bedrolls and a hot meal in the dining room. Several of the original buildings still remain on this site.
Cache Creek Hat Creek Ranch House
The road from Hat Creek climbs up to Clinton where we will have a brief stop. During the Gold Rush, Clinton was mile 47 on the old Cariboo Waggon Road from Lillooet. This was the junction of the 2 Gold Rush Trails - the one from Lillooet and the one we are following from the Fraser Canyon. From Clinton all miners trudged north to Barkerville and the Cariboo Plateau. In this section you will see a big change in vegetation. We are moving out of the semi desert area and into the plains of the Cariboo country. Don't worry though, the mountains are never too far away.
We continue following Highway 97 with a little detour into Chasm for lunch. Chasm provincial park conserves the painted chasm carved out fo the Fraser Plateau along Chasm Creek. A spectacular display of colour illustrates the park's rich geology in the Chasm Creek Valley and part of the Bonaparte River Valley. Successive lava flows form layers in the varying tones of red, brown, yellow and purple which have been revealed in the steep lava-layered canyon walls through erosion of the past 10 Million years. At the end of the last ice age, 10,000 years ago, water from melting glaciers carried so much silt that it carved the 8 km long, 600 m wide, and 300 m deep chasm - hence the name.
Returning to the highway, our next diversion is another 15 km up the road at 70 Mile. Here we will leave the highway and travel alongside Green Lake where we will have another stop.
Chasm
Returning to the highway, our next diversion is another 15 km up the road at 70 Mile. Here we will leave the highway and travel alongside Green Lake where we will have another stop. Green Lake, situated amongst rolling hills of aspen, pine and meadows, is a beautiful lake with caribbean green/blue colour. The lake is surrounded by dude ranches and cottages. After our stop, we will carry on north up to literally the high point of our day, just beyond Watch Lake. At this point we are at our 1/2 point in the tour.
Watch for the butte after which Lone Butte is named. The Butte is the hardened plug of an ancient volcano. Lone Butte was once the largest town in the Cariboo and a busy centre for ranchers who settled in the area. Today it is a quiet little town. Still traveling on back roads, we continue north and around the west edge of Horse Lake before turning west to come into 100 Mile House and the rodeo grounds where we are spending the night
Green Lake 100 Mile House
Day Four
100 Mile House is nestled in a valley and as we start our fourth day, and our only downhill day, we do so with a climb out of the valley. Today's route takes us north and west as we travel along the Cariboo Plateau. At 108 Mile, we will take a back road to skirt around the east side of 108 Mile Lake and into the rest area for our first stop.
From there, we continue into Lac la Hache - the longest town in the Cariboo - for the town stretches along the entire 19 km length of the lake. The origins of the name, as is usually the case, varies but it was either named after a French Canadian fur trader who dropped his axe (hache) in the lake while ice fishing, or for the mule who broke through the ice carrying a load of axes. We will stop on the shores of Lac la Hache for our lunch, so make sure you bring your bathing suit and towel and enjoy a refreshing mid-day dip.
On our way into Willams Lake from lunch, we will pass other stations along the Gold Rush Route. Just south of 150 Mile House, we will leave the highway and take a backroad to follow the rail line to the east end of Williams Lake. Cycling along the length of the lake we turn onto Highway 20 and then into the stampede grounds for our overnight stay in Williams Lake. The Williams Lake stampede has been running since 1920 and there is a museum in town dedicated to the history of the rodeo and ranching in the area. Williams Lake is considered the hub of the Cariboo.
Lac la Hache 150 Mile House
Williams Lake
Day Five
On Day 5, we will use Old Soda Creek Rd and MacKenzie Ave to leave the city. This will bring us back to the highway at the north end of town. For our second longest day, we will spend most of the day travelling along the Fraser River which we join just after our stop in McLeese Lake. McLeese Lake was originally known as Mud Lake (I am not sure we want to know why). McLeese Lake is now a vacation spot.
Leaving McLeese Lake, we re-join the Fraser River and the railway line and follow that alignment right into Quesnel. We will travel passed a number of small communities, in some cases ghost towns, of once thriving settlements servicing the gold rush era. Just south of Quesnel, we will exit the highway on Dragon Lake Road and travel along the east side of the lake and then turn south to our campground right on the lakeside.
;)
The Dock at Robert's Roost, our campground
Quesnel is located at the confluence of the Quesnel and Fraser Rivers. During the 1860s, Quesnellemouth, as it was called, was one of the entrances to the goldfields, and resting place for miners. In 1863, Quesnel became a disembarking point for the paddlewheel steamers from Soda Creek. The sternwheeler traffic, combined with the completion of the Cariboo Waggon Road in 1865, established Quesnel as a major river port that continues to thrive today.
Day Six
On Day 6, our last cycling day, we will leave the campground and head north through the city of Quesnel. Just north of the city, we turn east on Highway 26 which will take us all the way into Barkerville - the last leg of our adventure. Highway 26 has a minimal shoulder and some steep ups and downs. Our route takes us passed the Historic Cottonwood House, a heritage site where we will have a brief stop.
We will also stop in Wells. Wells is the only commercial settlement on this road and is very picturesque, surrounded as it is by the Cariboo Mountains. Built in the 1930s as a company town for the Cariboo Gold-Quartz Mine, the quaint and historic town of Wells was a small but prosperous town for a time. In its heyday, Wells was the largest town and cultural centre of the Cariboo and Northern BC with a population of 4,500. Today, with a population of approximately 250, Wells has maintained its 1930s streetscape and charm.
Wells
Our campground, Forest Rose, is just 1 km west of Barkerville and just 6 km east of Wells. In its heyday, Barkerville was the largest city west of Chicago and north of San Francisco. Today, Barkerville is an authentically restored town with a unique streetscape that takes you back in time to the height of the gold rush. It offers 125 heritage buildings and a plethora of living history - watch for the raucous miners and maidens while strolling through the town. We will be eating our meals in the town and enjoying some of the fine entertainment offered there.
Barkerville
Barkerville as we saw it in November - hopefully the snow will be gone in July!
Day Seven
Our last day will be a bus trip back down to Hope. This will give everyone a chance to see the route from a different perspective. A charter bus has been arranged to transport us back to Hope. In order to make sure that we have enough seats for everyone, please book and pay for your spot on the bus when you send in your registration fee. Changes can be made up until July 1st.
Participants opting to take the bus will take their luggage on board the bus with them, and their bikes will be transported to Hope in the luggage truck. Participants may be asked to help with the preparation of their bikes for loading into the luggage truck. This will take place on Friday night after dinner.
Please note – there will not be any opportunities to leave the bus along the route. Anyone wishing to cycle part of the way back will need to arrange for transportation on Greyhound.
Participants will be given a bag lunch to take with them on the bus. 10 hours has been allocated for the bus journey and the bus will leave from the campground at 9 a.m., directly after breakfast.
TourBC not only offers you great scenery, but great support also. We have an exceptional on-route team. Our medic provides medical support to take care of you, and Pete, of Guywires Mobile Cycle Tech, provides mechanical support to take care of your bicycle. Our tour leaders ride with you and are a font of information about the area as well as capable mechanics and first aid support. The entire route is signed for you, so that you will always know that you are on track.
On the road, we provide catered cyclist-sized meals with staffed water and lunch stops. Our luggage vehicle travels ahead of the group to make sure that your tent and gear arrives at the next stop before you do. For those who choose to stay in motels instead of camping, we will deliver and collect your luggage for you. It is your responsibility to make sure that our truck driver is given a list of which days you will be using motels and which motel you are using. Our massage therapy staff are on hand after the day's ride to aid with your recovery. And our photographer makes sure we capture the great time you are having and the wonderful scenery.Our group is
small in comparison to other mass bike rides - we limit ourselves to 100 participants. We have a very high participant return rate and
a good participant to staff ratio.
You are never just a participant number, but part of the TourBC family. We
will strive to ensure that this tour meets or exceeds your expectations.
Please read this
website thoroughly so that you know what we are offering and what you can expect.
TourBC offers seven days of fun, fun, and more fun, for experienced cyclists and cyclo-tourists.