Naturally Beautiful

Spending an amazing month on the road in scenic British Columbia

- Douglas Noblet, Nelson, B.C.

In the summer of 2015, I spent a month exploring British Columbia. I’ve lived in Nelson, a small town in southeastern B.C., for about 20 years and most of my exploration has been in the lower part of the province. I know it’s big, but when you drive for two or three days, you realize just how big!

I met up with a friend in Kamloops and we set off to explore and visit both little-known and spectacular locations in the province.

Our first stop was Painted Bluffs Provincial Park, a beautiful yet seldom visited park (it’s not easy to access) just west of Kamloops with spectacularly colourful bluffs. We then took the back roads to Williams Lake and Bella Coola. On our way, we discovered that we have pelicans in B.C.! They come to nest on Stum Lake in the Chilcotin Plateau every year. We also have wild horses, approximately 1,000 in the province, with up to 250 of them in the remote Brittany Triangle.

Next, we spent a few days in Bella Coola. The grizzlies were plentiful along the Atnarko River, feeding on the spawning salmon. Weing salmon. We also paddled for four days in the South Bentink Arm, visiting Talheo Hot Springs, one of the nicest in the area. It rained every day, so we pretty quickly headed back inland.