I have been waiting to write this post, seriously. Last month we went on a week long trip to the Cariboo region in British Columbia and it was like a dream. Pretty much on the third day we decided we want to move there haha. Here is where we stayed, what we did, and our feedback.
Visiting the Cariboo region in the shoulder season is really worth it, as the roads, lakes, and trails weren’t packed. Chumka can get anxious around humans and we like the solitude in nature, so it was a win-win. Plus you can often get cheaper accommodation compared to travelling during peak/ summer months.
Where we stayed
We stayed at a ranch called Kayanara, located in the heart of the South Cariboo. It’s an absolutely stunning place with plenty of opportunities, both on the property and surrounding areas.
We are very thankful that they allowed us to bring Chumka along. I messaged Jenna (the owner) as soon as I saw they are pet friendly, before I read the whole property description saying they accept well trained dogs only haha. I have a sort of scripted message I sent to accommodation owners asking if they are okay with our cat. So far I haven’t had any “no’s” and I always leave a review on AirBnb, so then we can receive one too.
There are plenty of trails to explore at Kayanara and we loved going on an early morning stroll with Chumka. You can even paddle down the creek that runs through the property but it was all flooded during our stay.
And bonus point – the windows and window sills at the cabins are big which was great when leaving our cat for the day. We knew he was gonna be occupied watching all the animals at the farm.
Here are some pictures from our stay there:
Day 1 of Activities with the Cat
One of our first activities we did with Chumka was paddling on Canim Lake. The feature picture of this post is from Canim Lake! You can watch this reel I made from that day:
Our next adventure that day was going to see Mahood and Canim Falls. I am yet to make a reel/ post about it but it’s a really short walk to those waterfalls. On the way back to the car we decided to check out this cool rock “face”. Chumka absolutely loves exploring rocks, especially if they end up with a cliff. Here is a little gallery from that walk!
Day 2 of Activities with the Cat
On our next adventure day with Chumka we went to town for some groceries and snacks first. He loves car rides and people watching while one of us goes to the store. After that we decided to go paddling on Ruth Lake. It’s a stunning lake with a small island called “Maternity Island”. The island earned its name because deer come there to have their fawns every spring – how cute is that!
Our paddle started quite lovely – it was sunny with a little breeze so we decided to check out the island. But as we were getting close, the clouds started to roll in so we decided to turn around – we got to the beach as the storm started haha. Chumka wasn’t a fan of the weather so he went to “hide” in his backpack.
This is the only “good” picture I have from the paddle:
Day 3 of Activities with the Cat
On our “last day” with Chumka, we decided to road trip towards Quesnel and check out couple things on the way. It was about 3 hours one way (not including the stops) so we left early in the morning and hit the road.
Our first adventure was checking out Alix Falls and Basalt Columns, located by a small town called Alexandria. The trail was beautiful and shaded as we started. Chumka walked almost all of it but by the end I put him in the backpack as he was panting. As you get closer to the waterfall, the trail gets more exposed and it was quite sunny.
This is what the trail looks like from the start and even though you eventually step off the “road”, you still walk on a well maintained path. The Basalt Columns are so majestic and worth checking out on their own. My guys walked too fast for me to take good pictures so I only have some videos that I still need to go through.
The hike to the waterfall and back took us about 2 hours – if you visit by yourself you can be back within 1.5 hour. It’s about 2km one way and since it was really sunny, our cat was getting hot. He didn’t want to be in the backpack so we poured water on him and rubbed it into his coat. It did the trick!
Our next stop was in Quesnel which is about 40 minutes away from the trailhead to Alix Falls. When I was looking at places to explore in Cariboo, Pinnacles Provincial Park was one of the top “attractions” on multiple sites.
Excerpt from BC Parks site: “Pinnacles Provincial Park protects a very unique formation of hoodoos. These hoodoos began their formation 12 million years ago, when molten lava flowing over the earth’s surface cooled in flat basalt layers over older layers of ash and rock. The Ice Age followed, and when the ice mass receded, melt-water streams eroded the valley below Pinnacles Park. The hoodoos are formed from the effects of this natural erosion and weathering. The basalt is eroded away, revealing the more resistant ash layer, and often producing vivid bands of color as individual basalt layers are removed.”
The trail itself is very easy and accessible – it’s flat and takes about 15-20 minutes. Here are just couple shots from the viewpoint.
Final words
I hope you enjoyed this post! Like I said before, we truly fell in love with the Cariboo region and would 100% recommend visiting it!
Hello there! Some of the things I’m obsessed with are cats, science and medicine - so this (blog) is a perfect mixture of those three things, isn’t it?! Join me as I write about cool things I’ve learned and obsessed over.
