Pemberton delights in providing the 'real' wilderness experience – away from tourist havens yet savvy to visitor needs.
Adventures include jet boating, horseback riding, fishing, championship golf, hiking, mountain biking and rural cycling. Get airborne and go paragliding, soaring or skydiving. Climbers usually head to Green River Bastion, and glaciers such as the Joffre Glacier group appeal to both novice and expert ice climber.
Since the Pemberton Valley is 487m/1,600ft lower in elevation than the mountain magnet of Whistler, its warmer micro-climate makes Pemberton such a year round adventure playground that many outdoor outfitters based in Whistler actually operate out of Pemberton.
Provincial Parks
Whether summer or winter, Joffre Lake, Nairn Falls, Duffey Lake and Birkenhead Provincial Parks all offer excellent ways to explore the Pemberton countryside. Campsites are good, multi-use trails are numerous and landscapes include waterfalls, rivers and alpine forests.
Parks Wildlife
Wildlife, birds and spawning salmon are equally prolific. Although larger animals such as bear, mule deer and cougar tend to stay in the undergrowth, care should always be taken – especially when it comes to stashing food.
Winter Activities
Whistler might have the largest downhill ski area on the continent but Pemberton rules when it comes to heli-skiing, extreme and backcountry snowmobiling, cross country (at Nairn Falls Provincial Park) skiing and snow-shoeing. Snowmobiling sites include the 45km/28mi trip along the Upper Lillooet as well as Meager Creek Forest Service logging roads and Hurley Pass. Ice skating, too, is a popular pastime, especially on Gates Lake and One Mile Lake.
Winterfest
Held in for two weeks in February the entire community celebrates its multi-cultural mountain culture at Winterfest. There are First Nations and culinary arts, live performances in music, dance and readings, a street hockey tournament, a polar bear swim and a late-night Street Party.
Venues throughout the Valley host a combination of free, ticketed and pay-as-you-can events, all with a terrific small-town, good-fun, family vibe.
Agriculture
Agri-tourism is a fast-growing visitor attraction, with the Valley producing far more than just its world famous taters. U-pick berry fields are scattered across the meadows and farms such as North Arm Farm are visitor destinations for picking and purchasing farm-fresh produce, preserves and flowers. The annual Slow Food Cycle attracts almost 3,000 cyclists, all of whom pedal and graze their way from one farm to another.
Skookumchuck & Sloquet Creek Hot Springs
Further afield are the Skookumchuck Hot Springs (St Agnes' Well) and Sloquet Creek Hot Springs. Both are accessed via rough logging roads. Skookumchuck is on private land and includes various hot tubs and an open-air shower; it can be crowded in summer. Frequent washouts make Sloquet less accessible; at 154°F/68°C, some of the pools are the hottest in British Columbia.
Festivals & Events
Pemberton knows how to create a good time. Events such as Canada Day, the Pemberton Barn Dance and Country Fair inspire a sense of celebration and kinship. Others like The Pemberton Festival and Lillooet Lake Rodeo have much broader appeal.
Lillooet Lake Rodeo
Every May long weekend the Mt Currie Rodeo Grounds spill over with activity. Bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling and saddle bronc kick dirt alongside barrel racing and roping events. Throughout the weekend, there's also a vibrant PowWow featuring dance competitions for traditional dance, fancy dance, First Nations drumming as well as a Miss Lillooet First Nations' Beauty pageant.
Driving Routes
Experience Pemberton's summer and winter outdoor opportunities, provincial and wildlife parks, agricultural abundance, hot springs, festivals, and events along three diverse driving routes. Learn more about driving routes through Pemberton here: Driving Routes.
For more information on things to do in Pemberton, pop into the Visitor Centre.
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