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Explore Cache Creek’s long and colourful history at the McAbee Fossil Beds, the Shuswap Native Village and Historic Hat Creek Ranch. Hiking, horseback riding and camping are great ways to appreciate the area’s natural settings. Water-oriented activities include swimming, fishing, whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing. Snowmobiling, ice fishing and cross-country skiing are the main ways to play in winter. Seasonal attractions and events include Graffiti Days, the Winter Carnival, the Nl’akapxm Eagle Motorplex Race Track and the Bonaparte Bend Winery.
Cache Creek is a good jumping off point for exploring the history and culture of the Shuswap aboriginal people. Interpretive tours of the Shuswap Native Village on the grounds of Historic Hat Creek Ranch include a lot of information on their traditional way of life. You can also participate in history and culture-oriented activities at the Bonaparte Indian Band’s annual Powwow in August.
All sorts of activities are possible at Loon Lake, just north of town. It has trails for walking, hiking and horseback riding and facilities for camping and RV’ing. Historic Hat Creek Ranch, nearby, offers riding lessons, guided trail rides, eco tours and overnight accommodation. Birders should be on the lookout for Loons and Bald Eagles.
You’ll enjoy panoramic views of three valleys when you play the nine-hole, 2,944-yard Semlin Valley Golf Course. Set atop a desert mountain, the verdant, full-regulation course was once a sagebrush-covered ranch.
One thing you notice right away about Cache Creek is the “Back to the Fifties” theme of its commercial district. There are neon signs and vintage cars aplenty there, especially during the annual “Graffiti Days” celebrations (second weekend in June).
Cache Creek lies at the heart of the Historic Gold Rush Trail, a route through the Fraser Canyon used by prospectors on their way to and from the Cariboo gold fields in the 1850s. Historic Hat Creek Ranch, just a ten-minute drive from town, does a terrific job of recreating the sights, sounds and smells of that heady era. Take a stagecoach ride, spend the night in a miner’s tent, rustic cabin or a Shuswap kekuli (pit house), or try your hand at panning for gold.
As far as attractions are concerned, Cache Creek has something for everyone. Head to Horstings Farm to visit with chickens, goats and rabbits, shop for fresh produce and gifts or savour home-made soups, sandwiches and desserts. You can sample a variety of 100% BC grown fruit wines at the Bonaparte Bend Winery: apricot, black currant, blueberry, blackberry and more. There’s also a NHRA-sanctioned race track just south of town called the Nl’akapxm Eagle Motorplex Race Track. It hosts scheduled races in summer.
Loon Lake and Juniper Beach Provincial Park are both good places for hiking and birding. Fishing is permitted on the Thompson River, which runs through the park. The river is also a great place for “trainspotting,” as railway tracks run on either side it.
Cache Creek is just minutes away from the McAbee Fossil Beds, a rich trove of fossils in what was once a shallow lakebed. Formed from sediments laid down about 50 million years ago, they include many varieties of plants, insects and fish.
Don’t let the desert-like landscape around Cache Creek fool you: there’s plenty of water-oriented fun to be had. In town, the Cache Creek Public Pool sits next to the Bonaparte River and 4 ha (11 ac) of developed parkland (playground, softball diamonds, picnic area). The Thompson River, east of town, is a whitewater rafting and kayaking hotspot with rapids rated Class III – IV. Just north of town is Loon Lake, which is suitable for canoeing, kayaking, pontoon or power boating, and lakeside camping.
There are many opportunities for backroad adventures around Cache Creek. Cross-country skiing, ice fishing, snowmobiling and horseback riding are probably the most popular outdoor pursuits in winter, especially around Loon Lake. The Winter Carnival that’s held each year in February includes a snowmobile poker run, fishing derby, auction and dance.
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