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What can’t you do in or around Lytton? There is whitewater rafting, kayaking and fishing on the world-famous Fraser and Thompson rivers. For those who prefer land adventures, Lytton is close by Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park, a vast, protected, wilderness area.
Thanks to its gold-rush heritage, visitors can also pan for gold. Then there is the thrilling descent on the airtram for a close-up view of waters rushing through Hell’s Gate – a 35-m (110-ft) wide gorge.
In Lytton itself, visitors can discover more about the history of the area at the Lytton Museum.
Lytton is a major gateway to outdoor adventure. Close to town is Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, one of BC’s premier areas for multi-day wilderness backpacking. The park, which protects the pristine Stein River Watershed, is of tremendous cultural and spiritual significance to the Nlaka’pamux people. It boasts approximately 150 km (93 mi) of trails and numerous wilderness campsites. Hiking the entire valley (eight or more days) will take you from BC’s dry interior to the wetter Coast Mountains.
Skihist Provincial Park, north of Lytton on Hwy 1, proves another wonderful place to visit. Overlooking the Thompson Canyon, it offers extraordinary views from the hiking trail above the campground. The campground itself serves as a popular base for those interested in rafting and fishing.
This region was made famous thanks to its 1850s-1860s gold rush, and now visitors, too, can pan for gold. The gold rush may be long gone, but Lytton's Gold Panning Recreation Reserve on the Fraser River is open to the public.
Much of Lytton’s past is still physically present. As you drive along Hwy 1, you’ll follow the Canadian Pacific (built 1885) and Canadian National (built 1910) railways along the Fraser and Thompson canyons as they wind their way through tunnels and across bridges. Railway buffs will enjoy the retired CN caboose in Caboose Park as well as appreciate the opportunity to photograph the striking Siska Bridges crossing the Fraser River just south of town.
No visit to Lytton is complete without a visit to Hell’s Gate. Visitors descend a stomach-defying 152 m (500 ft) on the airtram into the spectacular Fraser Canyon for a close-up view of waters rushing through the 35-m (1100-ft) wide gorge. The building of the Canadian National Railway triggered a landslide in the area in 1913, which obstructed the Fraser River and prevented the migration of salmon. Today, the Hell's Gate Fishways, built by a joint Canada–United States commission and completed in 1966, help the salmon through more difficult sections of the river.
Lytton is thought to have been one of North America’s continuously inhabited sites. You can explore this past at the Lytton Museum, which provides insight into First Nations history, the influx of the gold seekers, the arrival of Europeans to serve the prospectors as well as the more recent building of highways and railroads. The local First Nation also has a longstanding artistic legacy. Learn about Nlaka’pamux traditions at the Siska Art Gallery, which offers a variety of soapstone and wood carvings. Artifacts and baskets are also on display.
The Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park has been important to the Nlaka’pamux people for thousands of years, both spiritually and for sustenance. First Nations paintings (pictographs) on the rocks can be seen at various points along the Stein Valley Trail. One of the most revered is “Asking Rock” near Stryen Creek. Here, Nlaka’pamux people recite a prayer and ask permission to journey through the valley in safety. Please respect cultural and spiritual areas and do not touch pictographs.
Less than a one-hour drive south of Lytton is one of BC’s most famed attractions: Hell’s Gate. Visitors descend 152 m (500 ft) on the airtram into the spectacular Fraser Canyon for a close-up view of the 35-m (110-ft) wide gorge. At peak spring levels, an astounding 757-million l (200-million gal) of water per minute rush through Hell’s Gate – a volume double that of Niagara Falls.
Lytton is close by world-renowned Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, a 107,191 ha (264,875 ac) wilderness park that protects one of the last, nearly untouched watersheds in southwestern BC. The tracks of grizzly bears, cougars, mountain goats and deer are frequently seen on trails through the valley, while salmon spawn in the lower creeks. The Stein Valley is also the spiritual home of the Nlaka’pamux Nation. There are trails and campsites established throughout the valley for backpackers.
Another stunning site is the Fraser Canyon. Whether viewed from the highway, railroad or raft, the Fraser Canyon offers an endless supply of dazzling vistas. The sheer, walled canyon between the Coast and Cascade mountains was carved by the Fraser River’s rushing whitewaters.
Lytton is called the "Rafting Capital of Canada." No wonder: rafting here combines the thrills of big, whitewater rapids with a hot, desert environment. The stretch of the Thompson River from Spences Bridge to Lytton shoots rafters past steep canyons and hoodoos, surreal pillars caused by stone erosion. The Thompson has 18 Class II–IV rapids. A popular two-day trip includes both the lower Thompson as well as the Fraser River, which shoots through Fraser Canyon and features inspiring scenery, wildlife, remnants of the Cariboo Waggon Road as well as Hell's Gate.
The jade-green Nahatlatch is considered to be one of BC’s top whitewater rivers. Try the Class III–IV section of the river, which drops an amazing 16 m per km (85 ft per mile) and features 25 rapids over a 10-km (6-mi) distance.
In the fall, Anglers in the area head to Spences Bridge to fish from the Thompson’s riverbanks for legendary steelhead. Lillooet –one hour north of Lytton- is a popular base from which to fish for the giant white sturgeon on the Fraser (catch and release only).
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