Sightseeing in the Cariboo Area
July 17, 2018 9:14 am Leave your thoughts
In my last blog, I said this blog would cover the final stage of the manufacturing process. However, to give myself and my readers a break I decided to write about some of the recreational opportunities the Cariboo has to offer.
Quesnel, British Columbia was once the trade capital of the Cariboo Gold Rush. As gold became less and less abundant, some towns dried up and became either ghost towns or historic sites (such as Barkerville). However, Quesnel stood strong and has flourished as one of the biggest forestry centers in the world. Being a central location in the Cariboo, in one hour I can be in an urban center like Prince George, or I could be in the middle of nowhere enjoying the scenery of the untamed wilderness.
A few weeks ago, I went on a hike with some of the other students in the Barkerville area. I won’t go into too much detail as my fellow Green Dream blogger Alexander Davis covered the entire excursion in his second blog. However, there was a stark contrast between the hikes that I frequent in the Greater Vancouver area. On this hike we saw two other people over the two days we were on the trail. In the more popular trails in Vancouver, you would be lucky to see less than two people at any given time. Having explored the Canadian Rockies last summer, I thought the views I experienced up there were the best Canada had to offer. I was surprised with the views in the Cariboo mountains, while the mountains are not as tall, the scenery really does capture the scale and beauty of Canada’s wilderness.
This past weekend I also had the chance to explore BC’s largest sand dune. And if you are wondering how big that is compared to other BC sand dunes, don’t worry, prior to this weekend I wouldn’t know either. I can say now that I have visited Farwell Canyon and have a frame of reference, the title is well deserved. We camped on the banks of the Chilcotin River. Just across from our campsite, the dune towered over us. Although we got to our site a bit too late to explore the dune on Friday, we were able to explore the abandoned buildings that looked straight out of a horror movie.
Early on Saturday after cleaning up, we set out for the dune. Although it was on private property, the owner of the land allowed for free access for all visitors. After a short hike up the dune. to us. Our forward-thinking friend and fellow Green Dream blogger Alex, brought his snowboard and we spent a few hours figuring out the physics of the dune to make us go as fast as possible. It turns out as the sand heats up and dries, it becomes easier to slide on. Once everyone had a few goes, we explored further down the canyon before turning around to head back home.
I am consistently impressed by the quality of sightseeing and hiking available in this region. Unfortunately, due to the smaller population density, many of these areas of interest are hidden gems and hardly documented. On the bright side, it makes the views that much more rewarding. I am looking forward to eventually canoeing part of the Bowron Trail later in the summer.
