Williams Lake, British Columbia

View maps of the area:
Map of Williams Lake
Map of the Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast region

• Williams Lake is home to the famous Williams Lake Stampede, one of the largest in North America, featuring local, national and international contestants. Normally held over the Canada Day weekend (July 1), this four-day event is the hub around which dozens of homegrown events circulate, including The Pony Express Race, The Wild Cow Milking, The Team Cattle Penning, and Pony Chariot Races. The city takes on its 'western ancestry', and false facades decorate the businesses; the interiors take on an early nineteenth century decor, and the citizens don their best western garb. The colourful and exciting spectacle is not to be missed, so bring your hats and boots and jump into all the excitement.

• Pony Chariot Race, Williams Lake Stampede

  Saddle up and ride into the ranching and rodeo history of the Cariboo at the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin. Walk in the moccasins of the First Nations people, dipping fish from the rivers and gathering gooseberries along the trails. Gold lured the first settlers to the area, but ranching kept them here. Find out how Williams Lake came to be the Stampede Capital of BC, and marvel at the rhinestone crown of the first Stampede Queen.

• No visit to Williams Lake is complete without seeing the historic Pacific Great Eastern Railway Station. Built in 1919, this "Standard No. 3 Station" is one of the city's oldest buildings. Now a B.C. Rail Station, travellers can board trains for a romantic rail journey across Canada to Nova Scotia. It also houses The Station House Art Gallery, which exhibits a variety of contemporary works by local, regional and touring artists.

• Experience the spiritual and cultural magic of the native Xats'ull Heritage Village. This Shuswap heritage village has been occupied for over 4,000 years, and is today inhabited by less than 1,000 people who live nearby the site. Xats'ull Village has arranged a one-day cultural program that includes a tour of the village, lunch, mini workshops on toolmaking, basketmaking, story telling and traditional food preparation. This exceptional tour puts you in close contact with the lifestyle of Native peoples of the Shuswap area. Traditional overnight stays are available in Pit Houses or Tee Pees.

• Scout Island Nature Centre on Williams Lake offers a unique opportunity to view shorebirds and waterfowl that populate the wetland marsh. Enjoy exceptional viewing opportunities in spring and fall. Visitors will encounter ospreys, bald eagles, black-capped chickadees, yellow-headed blackbird, marsh wren, Brewer's blackbird, great blue heron, hooded merganser, swallows, flycatchers, gulls, hummingbirds, and songbirds. Animals include red foxes, mink, river otters, beavers and muskrats. The Scout Island Nature Centre includes marsh and lake, grassland, small forests, 1.5 miles (2.5 kms) of trails for great wildlife viewing, viewing platforms, and the Nature House that features natural history displays where you can study local ecosystems. The centre also has a boat launch, providing easy paddling around the island and marsh areas. Scout Island is located at the west end of the community of Williams Lake, connected to the mainland by a vehicle causeway.

• Flowing west of Williams Lake, the 1,368-kilometre long Fraser River is the longest river entirely within British Columbia, and is considered to be the world's greatest salmon stream.

• Set in the heart of what were once goldfields, the large lake at Horsefly Lake Provincial Park is now mainly used by anglers - a good fishing spot for rainbow trout. The park is located 13 km northeast of Horsefly, and facilities include 22 vehicle/tent campsites, a picnic/day-use area, and a boat launch. And, yes, the biting-insect population here is the reason for the lake's name.

• Williams Lake, Cariboo, British Columbia

  The Cariboo-Chilcotin region boasts a plethora of lakes and rivers, inviting exploration, outdoor adventure and fishing. Fish for kokanee on McLeese Lake, or for rainbow and char on Quesnel Lake, east of Williams Lake. If you insist on having the whole lake to yourself, take a floatplane to one of the remote lakes in the Chilcotins.

• River Rafting is big here. The Chilko-Chilcotin-Fraser system is one of the best-known river systems in British Columbia for adventure, thrills and spills. Lava Canyon on the Chilko River is a world-class run with continuous Class IV rapids, and a very high level of risk.

• Novice kayakers can try the Lower Horsefly River to Quesnel Lake. The more experienced are in for a real adventure, on the Quesnel River from Likely to Quesnel Forks, and the Cariboo River, putting in at Quesnel Forks. There is no limit to the opportunities for canoeing in the area. You need look no further than Williams Lake itself, or the Chimney Lake Chain, Blue Lake, and McLeese Lake. Check with the Cariboo-Chilcotin Voyageurs Paddling Club for details on lake, river and canoe camping.

• Golf: Surrounded by the hills of Chilcotin Country, the beautifully maintained course at the Williams Lake Golf Club overlooks the community of Williams Lake, offering scenic views, rolling terrain, and a variety of holes. Golf Vacations in British Columbia.

• Cross-country skiers can head for the 30 kilometres of well maintained trails at the Bull Mountain Trails, 20 km north of Williams Lake, and to the Corner Lake Ski Trail, 7 km southwest of Horsefly.

• Downhill skiers and snowboarders are catered for as well, 24 kilometres east of Lac la Hache. The Mt. Timothy Ski Area operates a family ski hill featuring a snowboard park and a seven-minute scenic t-bar ride up the 1,635-metre hill. Overnight RV plug-in sites are available. Skiing and Winter Recreation in the Cariboo.

• Wide open wilderness and frozen lakes invite snowmobilers to the area during winter to participate in snowmobile races, or to venture out for the pure adventure of it.

• Experience the romance and thrill of Dog Sledding through Cariboo Country, where the heavy and reliable snowfalls provide excellent backcountry trails. Local companies will take you on a short tour, or set you up to mush your own team of enthusiastic and friendly huskies.

• In August, the return of the salmon is celebrated with the annual Salmon Run, which takes place in the nearby community of Horsefly.

• Bike riders and enthusiasts flock to Tour de Cariboo, held in September. The Tour is a 76km/47mi bike ride from Williams Lake to Gavin Lake, across mostly paved roads and past spectacular scenery and across varied terrain.

• Don’t miss the Williams Lake Harvest Fair, held in September

• In 1859, local Indians showed gold seekers the location of gold deposits in nearby Horsefly, sparking the great Cariboo Gold Rush. Today Horsefly is a forestry centre and the gateway to fabulous camping, hiking and fishing in the surrounding area.

• The Chilcotin, sometimes called "B.C.'s last frontier", lies between the Fraser River and the Coastal Mountains, and is traversed by the 450 Km long Highway 20, which runs from Williams Lake in the interior to Bella Coola on the coast. Interesting places to explore along the route include a side trip from Tatla Lake into Tsyl'os Park and Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.

• The route from Williams Lake to Quesnel follows the Fraser River, passing points of interest such as McLeese Lake, First Nations attractions at Soda Creek, and the trip across the Fraser River via the Marguerite Ferry.

• See the best of the Cariboo, Chilcotin and BC Coast on the Discovery Coast Circle Tour. Cross to Vancouver Island from Vancouver and head north, boarding the Queen of Chilliwack in Port Hardy. Return to the mainland at Bella Coola, and enjoy the grassy plateaus, rolling meadows, picturesque canyons and high mountain peaks of the Chilcotin. The old Cariboo Wagon Road will lead you back to Vancouver through the heart of the Cariboo region. The Inside Passage Tour, the Native Heritage Tour, and the Circle Tour of Northern BC all incorporate the Cariboo Highway 97 for the journey between Prince George and Vancouver. Circle Tours in British Columbia.