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Despite its small size, Ashcroft is, and always has been, an exciting place to be. Its days as a Gold Rush boom town are chronicled in detail in the local museum and interesting mining, agriculture and ranching attractions abound. Highlights of the local calendar include the spring Art Show and Sale, the Fall Fair, the Highland Valley Copper Mine’s August Open House, and the annual Ashcroft Stampede and Rodeo. The locals love car racing so much they even do it in winter – on ice. Hiking, horseback riding, camping, fishing and white-water rafting are popular summer pursuits. In winter you can cross-country ski, snowmobile, ice fish, play hockey and skate.
Though it sits on a riverbank, Ashcroft is actually a desert town with a unique assortment of flora and fauna to watch for while walking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking or camping. The possibilities for backroad adventures are many and camping experiences range from rustic outings on Barnes Lake to near-town campgrounds with many amenities. Elephant Mountain is a popular hiking area where you can enjoy the full complement of mountain, valley and river views that Ashcroft is so famous for.
Historically, Ashcroft is probably most closely identified with the gold rush, mining and agriculture but it also has many interesting stories from its Aboriginal and early Chinese communities and its first days of railroading. The Ashcroft Museum has exhibits on all of these things. It also offers a fairly comprehensive look at the area’s natural history.
You’ll take in many sites of historical interest on a self-guided walking tour of the village, including the Historic Ashcroft Fire Hall (rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1916), the Chinese Cemetery, the Ashcroft Cemetery and the Masonic Hall. Much of the interpretive trail in Millennium Park deals with local history.
Ashcroft’s artistic community is composed mainly of artisans. Many of them exhibit their work at the Painted Ladies Gallery in the old Masonic Hall. There are quite a few murals, many with historical themes, scattered throughout the village as well.
Ashcroft is an official “Gold Country” destination. Explore its gold rush and mining history at the Ashcroft Museum and the Highland Valley Copper Mine. The mine offers tours in summer and hosts an annual open house over the August long weekend. Agriculture and ranching attractions include the Ashcroft Stampede and Rodeo (June), the Sundance Guest Ranch’s herd of bison, the Fall Fair (September) and, in summer, the Saturday Farmers’ Market and roadside fruit markets. Finally, as the Thompson River is girded by two railway lines, the area is very popular with train enthusiasts.
The best, year-round entertainment venue in Ashcroft is the Ashcroft Opera House, where you can enjoy live musical performances while you eat dinner. The Arts Club of Ashcroft puts on an annual art show and sale in April and the Ashcroft Indian Band operates the nearby Nl’akapxm Eagle Motorplex Race Track. The NHRA-sanctioned track buzzes with a full schedule of races all summer long.
Because it sits on a riverbank, Ashcroft is a wonderful place to view birds. Osprey, for example, use Thompson River as a nesting ground. Other commonly sighted species include bald eagles, golden eagles and chuckers. Herds of mountain sheep thrive in the surrounding mountains. Head south, to the Spences Bridge area, to view them. You can also spend many fascinating hours gathering plant and animal fossils at the McAbee Fossil Beds. Some of the specimens uncovered there date to 50 million years ago.
There are many secluded spots along the Thompson River where you can settle down for a quiet picnic or a bit of bird watching. One riverfront stretch just north of the village offers a stunning view of sand hoodoos.
The top water activities in Ashcroft are fishing and white-water rafting. Barnes Lake and myriad spots along the Thompson River are excellent places to cast your line. Popular catches include steelhead, salmon, trout and whitefish. Guided rafting excursions begin in Ashcroft and stop at numerous points to the south. If you’re an experienced kayaker, you can paddle the same route on your own. Either way, it’s an exhilarating ride. In the village itself, there’s an outdoor pool adjacent to a park and playground where you can enjoy stunning desert and mountain views while you swim.
In Ashcroft, you can have just as much fun out of doors in winter as in summer. Go cross-country skiing, ice fishing, snowmobiling, curling or skating. If you’re feeling competitive, join in a game of ice hockey or take part in the “Cars on Ice” race on Barnes Lake. Up to 40 cars race on the oval ice track there each year.
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