Introduction to Barkerville and Bowron Lakes

Barkerville: 83km (52 miles) E of Quesnel

Barkerville is one of the premier tourist destinations in interior British Columbia, as well as one of the most intact ghost towns in Canada. However, what lures paddlers and campers to the Cariboo Mountains today isn't a flash of gold, but the splash of water at the Bowron Lakes. These are a chain of six major -- and a number of smaller -- interconnecting lakes that attract canoeists and kayakers who paddle and portage around the entire 115km (71-mile) circuit.

Follow the signs in Quesnel to Hwy. 26 E. The 87km (54-mile) drive to Barkerville takes you deep into the forests of the Cariboo Mountains, where moose and deer are often spotted from the road. The paved highway ends at Barkerville. Bowron Lakes is another 30km (19 miles) northeast on a gravel road.