Horsefly River Estuary, Horsefly Bay, Quesnel Lake

YOU'LL BE HOOKED ON OUR ADVENTURES

Cariboo Wilderness Adventures invites you to explore the Quesnel highlands in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We offer guided soft adventures for all ages and abilities. Reasonably priced vacations you'll cherish for a lifetime. Adventure Packages include guided Angling, Hiking, Backpacking, Kayaking, Canoeing, Wildlife Viewing, Sightseeing and Historical Tours. After three generations of guiding in the area, we guarantee you an authentic Cariboo experience in the BC wilderness.

Roaring peaks Quesnel Lake

10,000 years ago glaciers covered the east Cariboo region of the province of British Columbia. As these glaciers receded, today's BC landscape was formed. One of the most recognizable of these landforms is Quesnel Lake. Having an area of over 260 square kilometers and 800 kms of shoreline, it is considered to be the world's deepest Fiord Lake. With depths of over 500m, Quesnel Lake holds many secrets.

Niagara Falls east arm Quesnel Lake

This region was home to a large Shuswap nation. For thousands of years these natives hunted, fished and gathered the earth's abundant bounty. With one of the provinces largest sockeye salmon runs, as well as the large deer population the indigenous peoples thrived in this environment.

The European fir traders and explorers changed the Quesnel highland environment forever. The North West Company's Simon Fraser expedition of 1808 sent Lieutenant Jules Morreeis Quesnel and a small group of explorers up the unnamed BC river. This group spent the summer exploring the Quesnel river watershed. What they discovered was a wilderness rich in animals which was prime for the trapping industry. From that summer on the area became a land of opportunity for the NW Company. The local male native population trapped for the NW Company, thus giving up their traditional ways. With no hunting and fishing the population weakened. Then the introduction of the smallpox devastated the Quesnel Lake tribes to extinction.

Walters Hotel Horsefly 1909

Millions of years before the ice age, volcanic activity brought vanes of iron ore rich in gold to the surface throughout the Cariboo highlands. These rich deposits were held in the earth for millions of years.

In of 1858 prospectors fresh off the Yale Gold Rush discovered gold on the Horsefly River and Quesnel River. The Walter's family joined in that gold rush and for the last 150 years we have been involved in ranching, forestry, hospitality and the recreation industries. Glen Walters was one of the first adventurers on the Quesnel River watershed, his father and uncles built and operated roadhouses and hotels along the Gold Rush Trail.

Grizzly lodge North arm Quesnel Lake. Built 1942

Our family has discovered many of the area secrets, from towering old growth forests' pristine watersheds, to lost native villages as well as ancient fossil beds. Adventuring has been a way of life for us in this unique part of British Columbia for over 4 generations.

Glen Walters and Client, Catch of the day 1948.

Now you too can discover many of these Cariboo secrets with us. Cariboo Wilderness Adventures offers packages and tours for all ages and abilities - guided angling, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, wildlife viewing, sightseeing and historical tours.

With Cariboo Wilderness Adventures you can paddle historical routes, follow the Gold Rush Trail, venture respectfully into lost Shuswap villages, kayak, hike and tour the Quesnel highlands from top to bottom, view grizzly bears, catch large wild rainbow trout, view magnificent waterfalls or float among millions of sockeye salmon. Your adventure potential is unlimited.

Combination Adventures

Here at Cariboo Wilderness Adventures we believe that you, the client, are entitled to all the Cariboo has to offer. Combine any of our adventures into a custom vacation that suites you and your family.

Come join us!