There's nothing subtle about the physical setting of Lillooet (pop. 2,058). To the west, the soaring glaciated peaks of the Coast Mountains dominate the sky. To the east rise the steep desert walls of the Fountain Range, stained with rusty red and ocher. Cleaving the two mountain ranges is the massive and roaring Fraser River. From the peaks of the Coast Range to the riverbed is a drop of nearly 2,700m (8,858 ft.) -- all of this making for an incredibly dramatic backdrop to the town.
In 1858, a trail was cut from the Fraser Valley goldfields in the south to the town of Lillooet, later established as Mile 0 of the 1860s Cariboo Gold Rush Trail. At the big bend on Main Street, a cairn marks MILE 0 of the original Cariboo Wagon Road.
From Lillooet, Hwy. 99 heads north along the Fraser River Canyon, affording many dramatic vistas before turning east to its junction with Hwy. 97. Thirty kilometers (19 miles) north on Hwy. 97 is Clinton, the self-avowed "guest-ranch capital of British Columbia." This is certainly handsome ranch country, with broad cattle- and horse-filled valleys rolling between dry mountain walls.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
