TRAVEL LIKE A LOCAL | Top 10,000 Places to Visit in Canada
The page created by Abin Scaria | Doohwan Ahn | Ravi Kumar Pandit | College of New Caledonia 
|Â Photo: Google Street View
Every year, over the July 1st long weekend, Williams Lake rolls out the welcome mat! Visitors come from far and wide to enjoy several days of Canadian Professional Rodeo Association action at the World Famous Williams Lake Stampede.
Photo: https://williamslakestampede.com/
Heart of A Champion Bull Rider is at the intersection of the Cariboo Hwy. and the Chilcotin-Bella Coola Hwy.
The 4-metre-tall design is devoted to long-time nearby bull rider Gerald Palmantier. He was born and raised in Cariboo.
Gerald was the grandson of Leonard Palmantier, co-founder of Williams Lake Stampede.
Photo: T0SHEA, www.waymarking.com
The Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin is the only museum in BC to focus on rodeo. It shows the history of Williams Lake – from First Nation culture to the fur traders and the mining and forestry industries that have since developed in the town. But it especially focuses on the ranching heritage of the area.
The museum is situated in the Tourism Discovery Centre.
No visit to Williams Lake is complete without seeing the historic Pacific Great Eastern Railway Station.
Built-in 1919, this “Standard No. 3 Station” is one of the city’s oldest buildings. Now a B.C. Rail Station, travellers can board trains for a romantic rail journey across Canada to Nova Scotia.
The Station House Gallery and Gift Shop features the works of local artisans, a great selection of pottery, jewelry, woodwork, books, children’s gifts, weaving etc. It has the main and upper floor for the public to see local, regional, and touring artist’s works for free.
Photo: www.wltribune.com
If you want to enjoy the Williams Lake River, walk along this trail. Although the trail is a gravel road, you can enjoy jogging, hiking and biking along 14kim of the Williams Lake River.
For your convenience, picnic tables, benches and pit toilets are equipped.
Photo: www.buntzenlake.ca/williams-lake-river-valley-trail/
A tranquil oasis to view and learn about nature, in the heart of Williams Lake.
The Nature Centre features marsh, island, and lake environments and is a premier location for nature appreciation and education.
On the migration path of hundreds of species of birds, it is a bird watcher’s paradise in the Spring and Fall.
Photo: https://mapio.net/images-p/26844509.jpg
The RC Cotton Trail will connect you with Scout Island and provide 800m of fascinating lake views as you walk on the water’s edge. This is the walking experience and fun on a newly built wooden bridge.
Photo: www.williamslake.ca
A spectacular rose garden adorns the main entrance to the park which is used frequently as a backdrop for wedding photographs.
Approximately 2.5 km of paved walking trails meander through the park, providing access to a sprawling Central Lawn, Gwen Ringwood outdoor theatre, picnic area, bike park and a skateboard park.
Photo: https://www.williamslake.ca/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=3354
Gibraltar Mines is an operating mine site with mining activity functioning daily. With this in mind, safety-related components are set in place to ensure visitors entering the working mine site will be safe while experiencing mining in action.
The minimum age requirement is 13 years old.
Appropriate footwear is required (no open toe or open footwear permitted).
Dress appropriate clothing (shorts or tank tops not permitted).
Bring your own lunch and water.
Photo: Photo courtesy of Ledcor
The Tourism Discovery Centre which is owned by the City of Williams Lake is a “first of its kind” in the province and poses as a gateway to showcase the City’s growing industry, economy, rich culture and history.
If you like outdoor activities like boating, here is Cariboo Chilcotin Jetboat Adventures. This is a locally owned and operated river tour adventure company.
They offer guests scenic jet boat river tours with a unique cultural flair in a pristine wilderness setting. All trips are fully guided with a jetboat pilot and interpretive guide.
Photo: www.facebook.com/jetboatadventure
Coyote Rock Golf Course has a stunning view of Williams Lake and the San Jose River valley. It offers a challenge for every level of golfer.
It is a 9 Hole Master’s length Par 33 course. It also offers a driving range, a full pro shop and a fully licensed clubhouse.
Williams Lake Belle Acres provides a full range of activities for everyone, including Go-Karting and Golf. It has an area available for hosting parties and events and has sports facilities such as Soccer, Badminton etc.
It has a fishing facility for seniors in their ponds.
Photo: https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/04/64/1c/68/kart-track.jpg
The Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club offers 28km of beautifully track set cross country ski trails at Bull Mountain, 16km north of Williams Lake.
Dog trails, 3.5km of night lighting, an adventure park and Jack Rabbit program, as well as adult lessons, are available.
The Xatśūll community invites you to visit and experience our spiritual, cultural and traditional way of life.
We’re open from mid-May to mid-October. We offer guided tours and cultural workshops where you take part in a variety of educational and recreational activities.
You can earn to cook a traditional meal, listen to stories around an open fire and fall asleep to the beautiful sound of the Fraser River in the distance.
Photo: xatsullheritagevillage.com
You can pick up a Culture and Heritage Walking Tour Map from the Visitors Centre or Museum of the CaribooChilcotin.
With clothing boutiques, shoe stores, sporting goods, toys and games, books, flower shops, furniture, groceries, hardware stores, and much more, you’ll find everything you need (and perhaps a few things you didn’t know you needed) in Downtown Williams Lake.
Photo: downtownwilliamslake.com
The Bullion Pit is an impressive man-made chasm on the Likely Rd about 5 km north of Likely.
This gold mine was operated between the 1870s and 1942. It was known once as the largest hydraulic placer mine in the world – hydraulic placer mining being the system they used to mine, employing large amounts of water to wash away everything but the gold.
The mine itself is astonishingly large, being 125 m deep, 300 m wide and almost 3 km wide. Because of the large amount of water used to wash away nearly 200 million tons of dirt, gravel and rocks, the mine used three lakes including Morehead Lake, which was created for the pit.
The site formerly housed 35 buildings and lodging for 120 workers. In its lifetime the mine is estimated to have extracted 70 million dollars worth of gold, and even today traces of gold and other minerals can be found at the bottom of the pit.
Photo: www.tourismwilliamslake.com
Moffat Falls is a must-see when you are in the Horsefly area. It is a short drive from Williams Lake. There is a parking area and it is a short walk to the falls and the bridge where you can cross and follow the trails to a better viewpoint.
Photo: https://www.wltribune.com/
The iconic Mural Art walk makes city visitors with the experience of colures and culture.
You can pick up a Culture and Heritage Walking Tour Map from the Visitors Centre or Museum of the CaribooChilcotin.
Photo: Â Casey Bennett, downtownwilliamslake.com
