Thompson-Nicola
Thompson-Nicola is a region in the central interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is a sparsly populated area that follows the Thompson River to its headwaters near Wells Gray Park in the north and includes the Nicola River valley to the south.
Cities
South Thompson and Nicola Valley
North Thompson
- Barriere
- Blue River - world famous heli-skiing
- 🌍 Clearwater - gateway to Wells Gray Park
Fraser Canyon and Lillooet Country
Dramatic canyons and valleys that transition between British Columbia's Lower Mainland and the interior of the province. The small towns and villages allude to a time past when they played a key role in the gold rushes and opening up the province.
- 🌍 Bridge River Valley - the upper part of the Bridge River Country, famous for gold mining history and scenery
- 🌍 Lillooet - Mile 0 on the old Cariboo Wagon Road
- 🌍 Lytton - junction town where Highway 12 splits off the Trans-Canada to follow the Fraser Canyon to Lillooet
- Seton Portage and Shalalth - collectively known as Seton, located 20 miles west of Lillooet between Seton and Anderson Lakes, considered part of the Bridge River Country
Other destinations
- Fraser Canyon - Two railways, the Trans-Canada Highway, and the Fraser River make their way through this narrow canyon. Home of Hells's Gate.
- 🌍 Hell's Gate Airtram, 43111 Trans Canada Hwy, Boston Bar (48 km south of Lytton). Gondola ride over the white water of the Fraser Canyon.
- 🌍 Sun Peaks - ski area with year round activities
- Wells Gray Provincial Park 540,000 hectares of outdoor splendor. Contains five large lakes, waterfalls higher than Niagara, and several glaciers.
Understand
Talk
The language of this area is English.
Get in
Highway 5 travels north from Kamloops and joins the Yellowhead (16) just north of Valemount. Highway 16 travels east-west from Prince George and beyond to Jasper and eventually Edmonton
Get around
See
- Little Hells Gate, this narrows on the North Thompson River may not be as impressive as its namesake in the Fraser Canyon but is still a pleasant spot to have a picnic and snap some shots.
Do
- Alpine Skiing at Sun Peaks Resort just north of Kamloops.
- Whitewater Rafting on the North Thompson River.
- Boating on the massive 200 km length of manmade Kinbasket Lake.
- Horseback Riding
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
Be aware of wildlife, avalanche hazards, and adverse driving conditions.
Go next
Mount Robson in Northern British Columbia is not to be missed. At 3954 m, it is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. It is rare to see this mountain completely cloud-free, it is so tall it seems to make its own weather. However, if you do happen to see it on one of those rare bluebird days you will know instantly that you are seeing something special. It's on Hwy 16 just east of where it meets Hwy 5 (about 20 km northeast of Valemount).