Beyond the Circuit: Barkerville & Day Trips

The circuit is the reason you came, but it is not the only thing here. Barkerville is twenty minutes away, there is a shorter paddle for people without a week, and the fishing in June and September is worth carrying a rod for.

The West Side paddle

You do not have to commit to the whole loop. The West Side is the same park over two to four days — out from Bowron Lake, up the Bowron River, through Swan and Spectacle and as far as Unna Lake, then back the way you came. No fast water, short flat portages, and the hike to Cariboo Falls at the far end.

It is the trip we recommend to families and to anyone who has not done a multi-day canoe trip before. Full details are in the West Side guide.

A day on Kibbee Lake

Less again: walk in about 2.5 km and paddle for the day on Kibbee, with the canoe already waiting on the lake so there is nothing to carry. Good for an afternoon, and a fair test of whether the full circuit appeals. See the day trip guide.

Barkerville

The historic Cariboo gold rush town, a national historic site, and only a few kilometres from the park — you drive within a kilometre of it on your way in. It is the largest living history museum in western North America and genuinely worth a day either side of your trip.

Opening hours, programmes and the Theatre Royal schedule are all on the official Barkerville site.

Heritage trails

There is a lot of walking around Barkerville on the old heritage routes, mapped and marked by the Friends of Barkerville Historical Society. A good way to spend the day after you come off the water, when your arms have opinions but your legs do not.

The Osprey Trail

Straight from the campground. The trail runs down to Kibbee Creek, where you can look at fish habitat and the rushing water of the small creek that drains Kibbee Lake into Bowron Lake. Short, and a pleasant way to fill an evening before an early start.

Fishing

There is good fishing on several of the lakes, and it is best in June and September. Depending which lake you are on you may take rainbow, lake trout, bull trout, Dolly Varden or kokanee.

A B.C. freshwater fishing licence is required and can be bought online. Ask us at the Registration Centre for the current best spots — that is the sort of thing that changes year to year and is better asked in person than read on a page. Two rules that matter out there: never clean fish at a campsite, and nothing goes in the lake.

Birdwatching and wildlife

Worth doing deliberately. The forest, the trail to Kibbee Lake, the area around the Registration Centre, the lake itself and the river all hold different birds. The Bowron River marsh at the end of the circuit is the best of it — moose, beaver and otter as well as birds, in slow water where you can drift and watch.

The salmon run

From August into early September you can watch the salmon run from the Bowron Road bridge. If your trip lands in that window it is a short detour for something most visitors never think to look for.