Cover photo: Kokanee swim by the shoreline at Chimney Lake. Photo: Vanessa Moberg
A Flourish of Trumpeters: Fall in the Cariboo
By Vanessa Moberg
The weather is perfect for riding. You and a friend have completed a fast and flowy descent. You’ve biked lots of different trails in many different places, but this ride, well, there was just something memorable about it. As you set your bike down to take a rest, you hear… what is that… trumpets? You look up and notice several Trumpeter swans are flying overhead, calling out as if to announce the end of your cool morning ride. Canada’s largest bird, these imposing yet graceful animals return to the Cariboo each fall. They seem to be in on the secret.
A season of migration, transformation, and inspiration, autumn is an immaculate time to discover the Cariboo.
With salmon running and ungulates rutting, there’s a lot going on. Throughout the year, herds of California bighorn sheep roam the grasslands of Farwell Canyon and Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park. In the fall, after the ewes have weaned their lambs, the rams rejoin them, fighting each other for dominance and butting heads – literally – up to 40 times per day. For more information on the incredible flora and fauna of this region, the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society offers an excellent (and free) field guide.
Farwell Canyon south of Willliams Lake. Photo: Credit Unknown
While mountain biking is a four-seasons pursuit here in the Cariboo, as temperatures cool down and colours warm up, autumn is one of the very best times for it.
From gnarly rocky terrain to a gentle ride down, you’ll find something that works for you on one of Quesnel’s 36 trails. Take a scenic ride (or shuttle!) to the top of Dragon Mountain where many of the trails are gentle enough for kids, with enough raw beauty to keep parents awestruck.
The city also hosts the Quesnel Bike Park, with trails, jumps, berms, a rubberized pump track, a paved pump track, a balance park, a progressive drop zone, and more. And Quesnel is home to a scrumptious lineup of dining experiences to quell that appetite you’ve worked up.
Dragon Mountain, about 30 minutes from Quesnel. Photo: Solos Productions
With over 200 kilometres of singletrack trails within city limits, Williams Lake is often called the Shangri-La of Mountain Biking. There are another 100 kilometres of trails just outside town, including those at Desous Mountain. With no boring way down, this 3,500-foot descent will give advanced riders big lines and bragging rights.
After your ride, download the Downtown Williams Lake app to find a relaxing place for a post-ride beverage. Or do an easy ride around town using the app to guide you through the impressive Williams Lake Mural Tour.
Desous Mountain, about 30 minutes from Williams Lake. Photo: Scott Horley
With over 300 bike trails to access in the Cariboo, you’ll find this place is expansive and uncongested. You’re just as likely to see hawks, eagles, deer or moose as you are other humans when biking these wild and untamed trails.
When you get back to town, share your story at a craft brewery, coffee shop or a tailgate, where locals quickly become friends.
Mountain biking is a way of life here in the Cariboo. Quesnel and Williams Lake are only two of the communities offering incredible biking experiences, along with 100 Mile House, Wells, and others. You can also check out Mountain Biking BC for more information.
Wheels not your thing? How about a living, breathing ride?
Ranching is an important part of Cariboo heritage that lives on to this day. Horseback riding, guest ranch stays, interactive museums, and interpretive heritage sites throughout the region offer visitors the chance to imagine what life was like in days gone by.
Just in the 100 Mile House and South Cariboo region alone, there are about 20 ranches ready to welcome you. These immersive cultural experiences allow you to unwind – and rewind.
Riding at a guest ranch, just 15 minutes outside 100 Mile House. Photo: Elladee Brown
Autumn is a particularly exciting time to experience Cariboo culture, with markets and festivals in full swing. In the final few weeks of the harvest, farmers’ markets are filled to the brim with the bounty of this fertile land, followed closely by Christmas markets. With baked goods, preserved foods, farm products like honey and meats, textile arts, metal work, woodwork, leatherwork, and pottery, Cariboo markets host artisans of all kinds, practicing and safeguarding these ancestral skills.
Our perspective makes an important shift when we connect with the past, through the people and places that preserve it. Nowhere is this more accessible to you than at Barkerville Historic Town and Park.
You may come for the Cariboo’s glittering lakes, shimmering grasslands, and golden trees, but in the mid-1800s, prospectors flocked here looking to quite literally strike gold. It all started on August 17, 1862, when, after much persistence, Billy Barker “struck the lead”.
Barkerville boomed during the gold rush, once the largest city north of San Francisco and west of Chicago. Thanks to its carefully preserved buildings – 125 of them – this National Historic Site is now the largest living-history museum in western North America.
Discover Barkerville Historic Town and Park, just five kilometres from Wells. Photo: Elladee Brown
Affording a more thoughtful experience, autumn is an excellent time to visit Barkerville. During the shoulder season, the walk-in gate is open daily for self-guided tours from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm by donation.
And just five kilometres away, the District of Wells is the perfect base camp for your trip back in time to the gold rush era. Nestled in the foothills of the Cariboo Mountains, Wells is its own jewel waiting to be discovered. You’ll find a theatre, shops, galleries, and opportunities for adventure sports, along with accommodations, restaurants, and other amenities.
So whether you wish to fly past the gorgeous yellow leaves on your thrilling mountain ride, or tread softly over the ground that once held dreams of gold, you, too, can discover the riches of the Cariboo fall.
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