Hiking opportunities in Quesnel range from easy-to-moderate routes along the Quesnel Riverfront Trail System, to easy self-guided walking tours of the community's 30 historic and heritage sites, including the Quesnel & District Museum.
The region surrounding Quesnel offers unparalleled wilderness experiences that can be explored on easy or difficult hikes. Take advantage of short day trips to Pinnacles Provincial Park or Ten Mile Lake Provincial Park, or plan an extended multi-day adventure along the Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Nuxalk Carrier Grease Trail.
Quesnel Riverfront Trail System
The Quesnel Riverfront Trail (9.5km/6mi) is an easy hike that begins at Ceal Tingley Park (the centre of Quesnel), where the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers meet, the location of Simon Fraser's 1808 camp. The hike is divided into short distances and portions are wheelchair accessible. The trail does intersect more difficult sections of the Riverfront Trail System, such as Sugar Loaf Trail.
Historic and Heritage Walking Tours
The self-guided Historical Heritage Walking Tour (approximately 2.4km/1.5mi) takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete, with an optional 15-minute leg. The "Historical Walking Tour of Quesnel" booklet, available at the Visitor Centre, details more than 30 historical sites. One highlight along the tour is the Quesnel & District Museum, which contains more than 30,000 artifacts, including an extensive collection from 19th-century Chinese immigration to Quesnel. Also along this walk are the Hudson Bay Company building and the Fraser River Foot Bridge (proclaimed to be the world's longest wooden truss footbridge).
Take a unique walking tour of Quesnel's Little People. This 4.9km/3mitour – featuring 23 fire hydrants painted to represent characters from Quesnel's cultural and historical past – begins at the Visitor Centre, and spreads throughout town for more than 15 blocks.
Hiking Provincial Parks
Pinnacles Provincial Park, located 10 minutes from Quesnel's city centre via Moffat Bridge, features a 2km/1.2mi easy hike to hoodoos, thin geological spires created by natural weathering and erosion. Ten Mile Lake Provincial Park offers 10km/6mi of easy and moderate hiking along interconnected loops, one of which is a self-guided nature trail leading to a beaver lodge and dam.
Alexander Mackenzie Heritage/Nuxalk Carrier Grease Trail
The Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Nuxalk Carrier Grease Trail, the first designated heritage trail in British Columbia, is 420km/260mi trail through wilderness, meadows, forest, and muskeg, ending at Burnt Bridge, Bella Coola. The journey takes three weeks to complete, so hikers should be experienced and physically fit. Do pack sufficient food (as there are no supply points along the trail), a detailed topographical trail map, and backwoods kits. The optimal season for this trek is late July or August when creeks are at their lowest.
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