May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Spas & Wellness
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The Hills Health Ranch was an incredible first stop on my Cariboo Chilcotin Coast road trip! I was instantly impressed with the ambiance and friendliness of the Ranch, not to mention the absolutely stunning scenic location! My favourite room of the entire ranch (which is quick large) is the cardio room. As an avid runner (well a most of the time runner!) I quite enjoyed the view, as I stood on the treadmill I looked out through the large bay windows and was greeted by the measureless acres of pristine forest, rolling hills and stunning mountains in the distance, giving the illusion of running outdoors through the native wilderness of British Columbia. If anything could make exercising and running fun and enjoyable, this room was it!
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Anahim Lake, Accommodation
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My time spent at the Clearwater Lake Lodge was unforgettable. Bernward and Giesla, the owners and operators, are hands down the most hospitable people I have ever met. From the moment we arrived at the Lodge we were treated like royalty, but also part of the family.
This place gets even better when we walked around to the dock area behind the lodge that is 500 feet from Clearwater Lake (hence the name!) and we were confronted with a view that can only be described as breathtaking. The lake is beautiful blue crystal clear glacier water surrounded by lush forest with the majestic coastal mountain standing tall in the background, creating the perfect landscape that even the most hardcore city goers would stop and contemplated living here for. Bernward refers to the region (Clearwater Lake and the Tatlayoko Valley south of the lake) as ‘God’s Country’ and he is right, I can’t imagine a more stunning, awe-inspiring place on earth.
To top off the entire Clearwater Lake experience, I will certainly remember Giesla’s cooking the most; probably because we all left a few pounds heavier! I highly recommend leaving your diets at home because for one you will be missing out on the greatest cooking the province has to off and no one can resist her unique blend of German-western cooking, the elegant presentation and most of all her home cooked bread.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Tumbler Ridge, Outdoor Activity Tours
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Local tip: Riverboat tours are available to get to Kinuseo Falls, it's a great to get to the falls without driving the long and sometimes rough road. Last year the tours were available through the Visitor Centre, and I think it's the same this year.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Tumbler Ridge, Attractions
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Riverboat tours are available to get to Kinuseo Falls, it's a great way to get to the falls without driving the long and sometimes rough road. Last year the tours were available through the Visitor and I think it's the same this year.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Accommodation
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This is a great B&B located in a private setting on 108 Mile Lake. It’s easy to find and what a stunning location. You can swim off the dock, canoe, hike around the lake, golf, or laze around a quaint sitting area right outside your door. The hummingbirds are plentiful and you can enjoy the sun all day long with a beautiful sunset at the end a great day to top it all off.
Henning, our host, was very helpful and prepared a great dinner and breakfast for our little group of four. The services are excellent and he even provides wine and beer if you want. There was a huge, full moon the night we stayed and I tried to get a picture, but didn’t have any luck with the camera I was using. I did manage to capture the awesome sunset though. If you are looking for some down time this is a great spot.
There is lots to do in this area and horseback riding can be arranged in addition to other activities. The lake is my favorite though and apparently in the heat of the summer it can get quite warm. It's amazing how much time can go by when water is involved, the kids would especially love this place and after all the fun you can enjoy a great barbecue on the patio.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Anahim Lake, Attractions
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Yesterday, three of us went to the Precipice Valley and Falls otherwise known as the ‘Baby Grand Canyon’. This place is a amazing and is an unexpected surprise as it comes out of no where and if you didn’t have a guide you’d probably never find it. The canyon itself drops about 4,500 feet from top to bottom and looking up and further out across the valley the Coastal Range and Kappan Mountain soar above the canyon walls to who knows how high.
This is a rugged and beautiful place and the pictures cannot do it justice. The blackened rock on the canyon walls lies in stark contrast to the grey of the stones and giant landslides on the opposite ridge. It’s rugged and barren, but even here there are a few sturdy, or rather stubborn trees that cling to life along the sides of the canyon walls and add splashes of brilliant green to the panoramic scenery.
There are no fences here so I was pretty careful about how far out toward the edge I could creep, but I wanted to get a good shot of the falls so I crouched down low to get just that little bit closer. In some sections it is quite easy to walk closer to the edge and still feel, but you have to be careful where you step as some of the stones along the edge are split and cracked and probably not too safe to be walking on. It really is a very long long way to the bottom.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Anahim Lake, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
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Two of us are headed out this morning for an hour horse back ride. You don’t need an alarm clock here as the dogs make quite the racket trailing behind Bill when he goes outside to get the horses ready. We have to leave early though as we need to be back in William’s Lake by 2:00 at the latest.
We’re back now and this was a great trail ride as we didn’t stick to the typical groomed trails. Bill took us in a crosscut pattern through the woods (Tracy calls it ‘bush whacking’) and it was fun to navigate the rocks and fallen logs that blocked our path. I was riding Jessie, a small mare who seemed to know exactly what to do and where we were headed. It was a bit difficult though when we went up a series of small hills as Jessie wanted to try and get ahead of the horse in front of her, Dusty. We stopped to take a couple of pictures of one of the largest ranches in this area - over a thousand head of cattle.
Bill also gave us a great demonstration on how to pack a horse for one of their adventure pack trips into the mountains. I had seen this done on movies but didn't realize it was so complicated. Bill made it look easy though and I have a feeling any attempt on my part to repeat the process would be time consuming and less neat looking ha. Maybe I'm not cut out for a full-time cowgirl, but a few days here would be a great start.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Anahim Lake, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
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This is your official cow poke alert.....if you love anything cowboy this is the place to see! The main lodge reminds me of my Dad’s stories of growing up on a ranch in northern Alberta where they rode the range and herded cattle. This log home is amazing and the guest rooms are located upstairs, but you can also rent a log cabin for your stay at very reasonable rates. Canoeing and fishing and multi-day horse pack trips into the mountains is what they do best.
Your host is the resident cowboy. He can tell you old stories about Rich Hobson whose famous cattle ranch was located just one valley over in the Blackwater Country and one you’ll see on on of the multi-day horse pack trips. He is knowledgeable about the history and people who live in this area and has a great bear story to tell - actually he has several to tell - you have only to ask. He is charming and loves to talk, but you can tell he works hard and takes great pride in the lodge, the horse, and his dogs. There are three dogs and two cats and they laze around the lodge just like you’d expect to see them on a lazy hot summer’s day. I don’t think they moved the entire time we were here - in fact you have to step over them to get by - too funny!
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Outdoor Activity Tours
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We spent only one night in this small roadside lodge, but it was clean and comfortable the service was great. They have limited check-in and check-out hours this early in the season (early May), but they do set out a nice continental breakfast you can dig into in the morning or take along for snacks later on in the day. This is the perfect place to start any adventure and this lodge offers it all.
Kynoch adventure tours are provided throughout the season and I would love to come back in mid August to go on a river drift to watch the bears fishing for salmon in the Bella Coola river. They have pictures in the main reception area of the various trips and excursions you can take, but what I found fascinating were the pictures of the bears feeding and relaxing in the river! There are cubs and sows so engrossed in what they are doing they don’t even notice the boat floating right past them. Kynoch does other guided adventure tours as well such as hiking, wildlife and bird watching, eco-rafting, and mountain biking, but I’m sure they can help out no matter what type of experience you want.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Arts, Culture & History Tours
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Visiting the Petroglphys at Bella Coola is a must do. Our group was a bit early in the season to obtain the services of a guide, but we did manage to find our way to the site without too much effort. It’s a short drive off the highway, but I would have preferred a guide as it is so much more interesting to learn about the history of the First Nations people in this area who would have made the rock carvings so very long ago. Another couple of weeks i.e. mid-May and on you can find a local guide at a number of locations in Bella Coola. The petroglyphs are located upstream from the highway to the south on Thorsen Creek - its only about a ten minute walk if you drive up as far as you can along the creek road.
It’s a easy walk to get in, but there are several sections of huge tree roots that you have to work your way over to get to the top. It would be easy to trip over them or the rocks so we took our time. The walk its self is amazing because as you get to the top you are walking through an old forested area with huge boulders and deep green ferns that grow in thick clumps along the ridge above the creek. On the way back I took up the rear and could easily imagine the ancients watching from amongst the trees to ensure we did not take anything or damage the carvings.