Thompson-Nicola Voyage Tips and guide

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Thompson-Nicola is a region in the central interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is a sparsely 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.

• 50.6761-120.3411 Kamloops — largest city in the area
• 50.811944-121.3233332 Cache Creek — the starting point for exploring the Cariboo region
• 50.111944-120.7866673 Merritt — calls itself the Country Music Capital of Canada and hosts the annual Rockin' River Musicfest

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. The Fraser Canyon (along with the Thompson Canyon) is a narrow canyon which contains two railways, the Trans-Canada Highway.

• 49.863889-121.4427784 Boston Bar — centre of the Fraser Canyon and home of Hell's Gate.
• 50.686389-121.9363895 Lillooet — Mile 0 on the old Cariboo Wagon Road
• 50.225-121.5766676 Lytton — junction town where Highway 12 splits off the Trans-Canada to follow the Fraser Canyon to Lillooet

• 50.49-122.461 Bridge River Valley — the upper part of the Bridge River Country, famous for gold mining history and scenery
• 50.884444-119.8794442 Sun Peaks — ski area with year round activities
• Douglas Lake Ranch — large cattle ranch near Merritt

The region had a population of 133,000 in 2016, over three quarters of whom lived in Kamloops.

The language of this area is English.

• Kamloops Airport (YKA ^IATA) - flights from Calgary, Vancouver, Prince George. Seasonal flights from Edmonton.

British Columbia roads have been vulnerable to natural disasters such as major flooding in November 2021 and wildfires in August 2023. You can check with DriveBC for up-to-date road conditions and road restrictions after clicking the Major Events tab.

• Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) travels through the region, traveling east from around Vancouver, through Boston Bar, Cache Creek, and Kamloops, and traveling west from Alberta including Calgary via Banff

• Highway 5
  • Southbound (Yellowhead Highway) to Kamloops. Travels from the Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway) just north of Valemount. Highway 16 travels east from Prince George and west from Edmonton via Jasper.
  • Northbound (Coquihalla Highway). Travels from Hope in the Fraser Valley to Kamloops via Merritt.

• Highway 97
  • Travels north from the border with the United States, the Okanagan cities of Kelowna and Vernon, before entering the region, passing through Kamloops.
  • Travels south from Prince George via Williams Lake on its way to Kamloops via Cache Creek.

• Ebus, toll-free: +1 877-769-3287. (updated Jan 2023) Three routes pass through the region.
  • Between Kamloops and Vancouver with stops in Merritt, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Surrey.
  • Between Kelowna and Vancouver with stops in Merritt, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Surrey.
  • Between Kamloops and Kelowna with stops in Chase, Sorrento, Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong, and Vernon. (some trips do not make all stops).
  • Three days per week per direction between Kamloops and Prince George with stops in Savona, Cache Creek, Clinton, 70 Mile House, 100 Mile House, Lac La Hache, Williams Lake, Quesnel, and Hixon.
• Rider Express, toll-free: +1-833-583-3636. Multiple days per week service along the Trans-Canada Highway from between Calgary and Vancouver with stops in Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Golden, Revelstoke, Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Sorrento, Chase, Kamloops, Merritt, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Surrey. In Salmon Arm, this service provider offers some trips with timed connections with its route between Salmon Arm and Kelowna. In Calgary, this service provider has routes that reach Edmonton. The service provider also has routes that allow travel as far east as Winnipeg. (updated Mar 2022)
• Thompson Valley Charters, ☏ +1 877-769-3287. In partnership with Ebus, operates twice per week service between Kamloops and Edmonton with stops in Barriere, Little Fort, Clearwater, Avola, Blue River, Valemount, Mount Robson Provincial Park, Jasper, Hinton, and Edson. Travel time to Kamloops from Clearwater is 1.75 hours, from Valemount is 3.75 hours, from Jasper is 5 hours, from Edson is 7 hours, and from Edmonton is 9.5 hours. (updated Mar 2022)

See also: Rail travel in Canada

• VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates The Canadian up to three trips per week between Toronto and Vancouver with stops in both directions in medium to large cities and tourist destinations such as Sudbury, Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, and Kamloops. This route can offer a scenic view of the Canadian Rockies, depending on the train schedule, as the train operates day and night. (updated Mar 2022)

BC Transit operates local bus services in Cache Creek, Kamloops, and Merritt.

Inland Ferries. Operated under contract for British Columbia's Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, inland ferries are vehicle ferries that connect roads across rivers and lakes. Routes operate throughout the year, but some river ferries may not operate during parts of the Spring due to river conditions. Free.  Ferry in this region:

• 50.24736-121.591921 Lytton Reaction Ferry. Daily 12:45 AM - 2:30 AM, 3:00 AM - 4:45 AM, 5:00AM - 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM, 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM, 4:45 PM - 6:30 PM, 7:00 PM - 8:45 PM, 9:00 AM - 12:30 AM. Crosses the Fraser River about 2 km north of Lytton using a turn off from Highway 12. 5 minutes crossing. Operates on demand.  

• Lillooet is a beautiful town that is a great base for exploring the Fraser Canyon.
• BC Wildlife Park, in Kamloops, is a local zoo with many animals from around BC, such as bears (black & grizzly), wolves, cougars, bighorn sheep, and rattlesnakes.
• Historic Hat Creek, near Cache Creek, is on one of the few sections of the original Cariboo Wagon Roads still accessible to the public. The ranch includes almost 130 hectares (320 acres) of fields and hills. The buildings stand as they did in 1901; some were built as early as 1860.

• The Hell's Gate Airtram, 10 km south of Boston Bar, is a gondola ride over the white water of the Fraser Canyon.
• There is alpine skiing at Sun Peaks Resort just north of Kamloops, whitewater rafting on the North Thompson River (Lytton claims to be the Rafting Capital of Canada), boating on the massive 200-km length of manmade Kinbasket Lake, and horseback riding in various locations through the region.

• The Kamloops Heritage Railway in Kamloops has a steam locomotive that goes for a one-hour excursion from the historic former CNR station.
• The Rockin' River Musicfest is four-day country music festival in Merritt on the first weekend in August. For a different vibe, check out the Bass Coast Music Festival, in early July, an electronic music festival founded and run by women with no sponsors or corporate presence.

Be aware of wildlife, avalanche hazards, and adverse driving conditions.

Mount Robson in the North Thompson and Robson Valley is not to be missed. At 3,954 m (12,972 ft), 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).