Quesnel
Quesnel is a small city of about 10481 people in British Columbia on the bank of the Fraser River. The town got its start via its location on the Cariboo Wagon Road which transported thousands of prospectors seeking their fortunes during the Cariboo Gold Rush. Today the city is supported by the forestry industry.
Get in
Quesnel is on provincial highway 97 320km north of Cache Creek and 110km south of Prince George.
There is a small airport which has daily flights to and from Vancouver, operated by Central Mountain Air.
Get around
See
Do
- Quesnel Museum. On Cariboo Gold Rush Trail (Highway 97) in LeBourdais Park at the south entrance to Quesnel's city centre, across from the BC Rail Station.
- Quesnel and District Arts & Recreation Centre, 500 North Star Rd, ☏ +1 250-992-8200. Arts centre with performing and visual arts programs and exhibits. The Quesnel Art Gallery exhibits the work of regional artists. Pottery room, dance studios, aquatic centre/pool.
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- Billy Barker Casino Hotel, 308 McLean St., ☏ +1 250-992-5533. Modeled after the paddlewheelers that plied the Fraser River during the gold rush of the late 1800’s. Casino, poker room, restaurant. Suites with Jacuzzi tub or four-poster bed available.
Connect
Nearby
Barkerville
A ghost town 80km (50 miles) east of Quesnel on BC 26, the Barkerville Highway. Established soon after Billy Barker first struck gold at the location in 1861, this was once a boom town with more than 5000 people. By the turn of the century, the town was dying as the gold rush was over.