4-Day Outdoor Thompson Adventure Tour

Summary
Itinerary
What's Included
Accommodations

4-Day Outdoor Thompson Adventure Tour

Experience the diversity of nature and a spectacle of interior landscapes in this region we call home

This 4-day adventure tour is designed to show you majestic landscapes, immerse you in hands-on experiences, tour you through storybook settings, and give you a sense of awe in the land known as the Thompson Okanagan. From hiking and biking to river rafting, kayaking, canoeing, and horseback riding, the Thompson Okanagan is not only a place that will inspire you... It will move you!

 

 

 

 

Experience the diversity of nature and a spectacle of interior landscapes in this region we call home

This 3-day adventure tour is designed to show you majestic landscapes, immerse you in hands-on experiences, tour you through storybook settings, and give you a sense of awe in the land known as the Thompson Okanagan. From hiking and biking to river rafting, kayaking, canoeing, and horseback riding, the Thompson Okanagan is not only a place that will inspire you... It will move you! 

Day 1 – Vancouver to Ashcroft (4 hours)

  • Depart Vancouver for Ashcroft along Highway 1 and the mighty Fraser Canyon.
  • Your first stop, and perhaps the most spectacular in our region, is the Hell’s Gate Airtram (www.hellsgateairtram.com). At this juncture of the Fraser Canyon, 1,100 miles of the Fraser River is squeezed into a 110-foot-wide thundering passage appropriately named Hell’s Gate.  200 million gallons of heart-stopping rapids hammer through here, which was why Hell’s Gate was journaled as being Simon Fraser’s greatest challenge!
  • Just north of Lytton, the town with the hottest temperatures in Canada, is Kumsheen Rafting Resort (www.kumsheen.com). Kumsheen specializes in river rafting, family adventure camps and sturgeon fishing on the Fraser and Thompson Rivers. Rafting trips range from 3 hours on the Thompson River as it snakes through hot, desert-like country (325 blue-sky days every year).  You can also stay for multiple day trips to include the Fraser River as well and stay overnight camping or in their unique tepees or ultra comfortable cabin tents!
  • As you drive north, you will enter “Gold Country” and the town of Ashcroft (www.village.ashcroft.bc.ca). It is located just off the highway where it is known as the heart of gold country. With the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1800’s, Ashcroft became Mile “0” on the road to the goldfields. Freight and mining supplies off-loaded from the train, made their way north to the Cariboo Gold fields by stagecoach, freight wagon and sleighs in the winter. The walking tour of Ashcroft shows visitors the many historically significant commercial and residential buildings that are marked with Heritage Plaques, containing a photo and brief history. Ashcroft is only 5 minutes from the #1 Highway and provides a welcome quiet respite from the busy highway traffic.
  • Depart from Ashcroft on Highway 1 to the McAbee Fossil Beds. The guided tours will give visitors access to 50 million-year-old plant, insect and fish fossils. Hard hats, hammers and goggles provided! Continue on Highway 1 through desert-like terrain, rolling grasslands, past ranches and ginseng farms to Kamloops and then north along Highway 5 to Sun Peaks Resort.
  • Overnight at Sun Peaks Resort (www.sunpeaksresort.com).  Three mountains, one village, four seasons - discover the magic at Sun Peaks Resort!  Nestled in a storybook, valley bottom setting, all the essentials are at your fingertips - hotels, condos, chalets, B&B’s, hostels, restaurants, and shops.  The resort offers golf, mountain biking, alpine and valley hiking, chairlift rides, horseback riding, fishing, canoeing, and tennis.  Enjoy your stay and come see what everyone is talking about!

Day 2 – Sun Peaks to Clearwater (2.5 hours)

  • If the first weekend of September is the time that brings you through the Thompson Valley, then we suggest visiting the North Thompson Fall Fair & Rodeo (www.fallfair-rodeo.com).  For more than half a century the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo turns tiny, friendly Barriere into a cross between an old-fashioned homecoming and the sort of country fair most folks last saw in a Walt Disney movie. There’s a midway and an open-air stage where the music and excitement continue for three days. This is true Canadiana and well worth the stop!
  • Continue north along Highway 5 to Clearwater and Wells Gray Provincial Park. Wells Gray Park is BC’s fourth largest provincial park (as big as a country!) and is known worldwide for its incredible mountain scenery, hiking trails, and plethora of waterfalls.
  • Learn the incredible natural history of the park by joining a naturalist at Helmcken Falls Lodge for a hike or canoe trip. Just down the road enjoy a stop at majestic Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Park (at 137 meters, they’re three times higher than Niagara Falls!).  Enjoy lunch at Helmcken Falls Lodge or Wells Gray Golf and RV Resort. If neither hiking nor canoeing is your preference, spend your day rafting, visiting waterfalls, or horseback riding at Wells Gray Guest Ranch.
  • Overnight in Clearwater.  Suggested accommodation includes:

Day 3 – Clearwater to Blue River (1.5 hours) or Valemount (2 hours)

  • Depart Clearwater for Blue River or Valemount.
  • After spending close to 2 hours driving, a stop in Blue River may be just right and the perfect time to catch a little R&R. The best place to do this is in quaint Eleanor Park. Located right in the middle of Blue River, Eleanor Lake Park provides a nice venue for an afternoon dip and snooze.
  • If the serenity of the surrounding mountains is beckoning you, then perhaps you should consider staying one or more nights at the world famous Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing Resort (www.wiegele.com).  The self-contained resort village is as magical in the summer as it is in the winter. The amenities that make the ski season unforgettable are available during the summer including the hand crafted log chalet & Bavarian House Estate accommodation, the fine dining experience in the Powder Max Dining Room, the fully equipped Sports Shop, and the Grizzly Hut hiking outpost.
  • Or continue your day by proceeding to Valemount and exploring the Canadian Rockies with Robson Heli-Magic. Their summer heli-hiking tours will surely amaze you! If remaining on the ground is more your style, consider an adventure at Terracana Ranch Resort. Guided ATV, mountain bike and horseback riding tours as well as climbing and hiking are available amidst the 500-acre ranch or rest your mind and body at the Native Elements Spa overlooking the mighty Fraser River and its headwaters.
  • If you wish to stay close to Valemount, a self guided walk is highly recommended to Jackman Flats Ecological Reserve Interpretive Trail. This is a very unusual area composed of sand dunes formed by deposits laid down after the last ice age. In addition to rare plant communities, Jackman Flats has other plant species growing far outside their normal range.
  • Overnight in Valemount. Suggested accommodation: 

Day 4 – Valemount to Jasper (2 hours)

  • Your journey the next day will take you to the Mount Robson Visitor Information Center located at the base of the mountain. Unparalleled vistas of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies are available here as well as information on many popular walks and hikes into Kinney and Berg lakes nearby. The Kinney and Berg Lake Trail has been a favourite for many years, providing excellent day and overnight routes near or to the base of Mount Robson.  The 3 hour return walk to Kinney Lake follows the raging Robson River and is highly recommended for photographers and picnickers. Be sure to check out the Mount Robson Visitor Information Centre as it provides complete and up-to-date information on the park.

For a complete list of TOTA Travel Trade accommodation partners, go to: www.totabc.com/travel_trade

For Bed & Breakfast accommodation listings, go to:  www.bcsbestbnbs.com

For additional city or region information on the way, go to:
Cache Creek: www.cachecreekvillage.com  
Ashcroft: www.village.ashcroft.bc.ca
Kamloops:  www.tourismkamloops.com 
Clearwater: www.wellsgraycountry.ca
Barriere:  www.barrierebc.com