Quesnel

Considered the gateway to the North Cariboo region of British Columbia, the town of Quesnel is the historically rich overnight stop between Whistler and Jasper on the Rocky Mountaineer. .

Surrounded by a dry, rolling pastoral landscape and the glacier created Interior Plateau, Quesnel was once the last stop on the Fraser River for the Gold Rush trail. It became a boomtown in the late 1800s, with the discovery of gold in the area, and was the service centre for gold prospectors stocking up with supplies before heading east for gold towns such as William's Creek and Barkerville, the centre of the Great Cariboo Gold Rush. Like many towns along the Fraser River, Quesnel was a stopping point for Simon Fraser on his river trip of 1808 and it was named after Jules Maurice Quesnel, one of his lieutenants on the voyage. The city also hosts one of the oldest buildings in British Columbia, the Hudson’s Bay Trading Post, where local artisans continue to sell their wares under the name Cariboo Country Keepsakes.

Nearby, the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers join, creating an incredibly rich fishing site, hosting some of the most important salmon runs in the world. The People of the Southern Carrier Tribe still live near and fish these waters. With its ever-changing economic history also rooted in the forest industry, Quesnel is home to some of the most technologically advanced wood products and facilities in the area. In Quesnel you’ll enjoy a perfect blend of rural charm and quiet city sophistication and get a glimpse of what makes the country thrive: history, nature, and local character.