Anyone wanting to add an extra dimension to their summer travel experiences and take a step back in time can do so at four historic sites that are now open for the 2025 season: Historic Hat Creek Ranch, the Yale Historic Site, the 108 Mile House Heritage Site, and Barkerville Historic Town and Park.
Located 11 kilometres north of Cache Creek at the junction of Highways 97 and 99, Historic Hat Creek Ranch is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The roadhouse, built in 1862, is one of the few surviving roadhouses from the beginnings of the Cariboo gold rush, and looks much as it would have in the days when it was a favourite stop of teamsters, travellers, and gold-seekers.
The site features other historic buildings dating back to the gold rush, and visitors can go for wagon rides with an experienced teamster. You can also learn more about the long First Nations history of the region, at the recently relocated Indigenous interpretive village. Coming soon is a nature walk, where you can learn to identify traditional plants and find out about their uses, and there are interactive experiences, including cookpits and tanning sessions.
Various special events will be held throughout the season, including movie nights, and accommodation is available on-site, while the restaurant is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., serving up delicious snacks and meals, and a gift shop contains gifts, as well as work by local artists and artisans. For more information, visit the Historic Hat Creek Ranch Facebook page.
Yale Historic Site is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., allowing visitors to tour historic buildings and learn more about the town that was once home to thousands of people searching for gold, and thousands more heading north along the Cariboo Waggon Road hoping to strike it rich.
At the site, visit St. John the Divine Church, originally built in 1863 and one of the oldest surviving churches in the province. The simple wood-framed building was constructed by Royal Engineers who were building the Cariboo Road, and many of the interior elements from that time remain intact, including handmade nails.
Nearby is the Creighton House, a heritage building dating back to the 1870s. The building is currently being renovated, with each room re-imagined as a story-driven exhibition space. However, guided tours of the house can still be arranged, either in advance or upon request when you visit. The summer will also feature special events, with details coming soon; visit https://historicyale.com/ for more information.
The 108 Mile House Heritage Site, 12 kilometres north of 100 Mile House on Highway 97, contains a large collection of lovingly-restored historic buildings, some more than a century old, as well as recreations of pioneer buildings. From now through June 30 it is open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and in 2025 is celebrating 50 years, with a day of festivities planned for July 26.
The site was first settled by Europeans in 1863, and a roadhouse was built nearby in 1867. Buildings currently at the site include the BX barn (1892), which was part of the legendary Barnard's Express outfit; the McNeil Mansion, built in 1905 and now a museum; a schoolhouse, built in 1938 and originally located at 133 Mile; and a store and telegraph office (1885); and a 1930s trapper's cabin.
The gift shop is open daily, and there is a market every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit the website at https://historical.ca/ for more information, including details of the popular ghost tours held each year in October.
Barkerville Historic Town and Park, 80 kilometres east of Quesnel on Highway 26, is gearing up for its full launch on May 31, but its spring shoulder season is now open through May 30. Visitors can stroll through town and enjoy the quiet calm of the site, which was a hive of activity after Billy Barker discovered gold there in 1862 and the town became the centre of the Cariboo gold rush.
Select shops and exhibits are open with admission by donation, including McMahon's Confectionary, McPherson's Jewellers, Mason & Daly General Merchants, C. Strouss Drygoods & Provisions, and the Kwong Sang Wing Store. You can book gold panning lessons at the Eldorado Gold Panning and Gift Shop, enjoy snacks and treats at the Goldfield Bakery, or have a sit-down meal at the Wake Up Jake, House Hotel, or the Lung Duck Tong Restaurant. The Post Office, St. George Hotel, Cameron & Ames Blacksmiths, and Cariboo Sentinel Printshop are also open now, camping is available at the Forest Rose Campground, and the Barkerville Cottages and Historic Guest Houses are also open for bookings.
For comprehensive information about Barkerville's 2025 shoulder and main seasons, visit https://www.barkerville.ca/.
