Bird Watching & Wildlife Viewing
Bird watching and wildlife viewing are a couple of favourite pastimes for wilderness loving people. Likely and area abounds with both. Respect and caution go hand in hand when viewing wildlife. The following are a few tips for enjoying your wilderness experience while keeping you and family safe and respecting the animals and birds space:
- keep a safe distance from wildlife, especially predators
- keep pets under control at all times
- DO NOT feed or unduly disturb wildlife
- use binoculars or scope to get a closer view
- leave young where you find them, a parent could be waiting and may become aggressive
- stay alert while observing
- Take all garbage home with you
- never disturb nesting sites
Tours are available for Bird Watching and Wildlife viewing – visit http://www.ecotours-bc.com/ for more information.
Beaches – Swimming
Cedar Point Park has a sandy beach beside the boat dock. There is a day use area with picnic tables and swings. Lots of grassy areas for children to play. Outhouses are nearby. A children’s play area is also in the park. Abbott Creek has a campground and lovely shallow beach area for swimming. Winkley campground, Little Lake and Spanish Lake as well are popular swimming spots. Of course, if you have access to a boat there are dozens of beaches along the shores of Quesnel Lake. Travel to Cariboo Island which has two campsites with fantastic beaches. Travel up the junction and on to the wilderness areas of the North or East Arms of the lake for further adventures.
Bullion Pool
Unmaintained road. Follow River Road, down the river (old Quesnel Forks Road) for about 5 km on the Likely side of the bridge. Walk down to this majestic spot on the Quesnel River. This road is an active logging and mining road at the moment. It is very narrow and not suitable for driving. It is a lovely walk from the Likely Bridge of about 5 km.
Bullion Pit Lookout
Turn in the road at the big yellow bulldozer blade, 5 minutes west of the Likely Bridge. The huge pit was formed by hydraulic mining between 1892 and 1942. Take a side trip a short way down the hill to the right past the workshop. Down the next road to the right, view the ditches and penstock where the water was directed down the hill to the monitors. You can still see the remains of the ditches that brought the water to the mine through the forest. There is a handicapped accessible toilet near the parking lot. Heritage sites: East Cariboo
Cedar Point Park Provincial Park “Class C”
This is a Camping and day use area with beach, swimming, boat launch, (new docks to be completed September 2015), dock, playground, museum, bathrooms, sani-dump, baseball diamond and numerous mining displays. Be sure to see the 1906 steam shovel.
This scenic park is nestled in a tall stand of ancient cedar trees next to Quesnel Lake. In the 1850s, Cedar Point Park was a rendezvous point for the Hudson’s Bay Company fur brigade.
For a full list of amenities available visit Cedar Point Park or visit Cedar City Museum in the park
Downtown Likely
The town of Likely is one of the few surviving old towns from the Cariboo Gold Rush Days. Originally named Quesnelle Dam, (read ‘Gold and Grand Dreams’ by Marie Elliot, for history of area) the town of Likely was renamed in 1923 in honour of the popular prospector John “Plato” Likely when the local post office was moved from Quesnel Forks. Current downtown businesses;
- general store and gas station – Valley General Store
- hotel with cafe and pub (room & board) – Likely Lodge
- Post Office, Cafe, Propane (room & board) – Likely Lakeside Restaurant & Services
Fishing Without a Boat
Fish directly from the shore at Bullion Pool, the dock at Cedar Point Park or the banks of rivers and lakes along the Gold Rush Trail.
Please refer to the fishing guide for open seasons. info here
picture-Goldrushtrail.ca
Hydraulic/Little Lake
Located 10 minutes west from the Likely Bridge on Little Lake Road. It was established in the 1880s by Robert Borland as the last roadhouse before Quesnel Forks along the Gold Rush Trail. The property was purchased by Samuel Crabtree Prior in the 1890s. Prior was a butcher and from his store provided the miners with meat, eggs and staples such as coffee, flour, sugar, and beans. Later a Post Office and a garage were built. Today the Prior house and stables still stand at the corner of Little Lake Road and Prior Lake Road. This property is privately owned. A small beach at the far end of the lake across from a gravel pit is a warm and inviting spot for swimming on a hot day.
Kayaking and Canoeing
The East Cariboo region of BC is paddling heaven. Some of the most popular lakes and canoe routes in the province of British Columbia are in this area. The wilderness country is an extensive network of connecting rivers and lakes. Local lakes and rivers are popular day trip destinations for paddling. More remote lakes and rivers combine to create a series of long haul paddle routes with wilderness camping opportunities.
Likely Bridge
The current bridge is the third one to span the Quesnel River at this site. The remains of the Quesnelle Dam are still visible downriver from the Likely Bridge. The dam was completed in 1898 in order to mine the river bottom. The stop sign in the river was erected as a hoax in the 1970’s and today aids in measuring the water levels. See the kiosk on Goat Island near the bridge. The first bridge entered Goat Island where there were a store and post office, and a number of cabins before heading to Likely.
Likely Tourist Information and Cedar City Museum
The Likely Tourist Information and Cedar City Museum in Cedar Point Park and Campground. Turn right at the stop sign when leaving downtown Likely onto Keithley Creek road. Keep to the right onto Cedar Creek Road and continue along the lake until you reach the park. About a 5-minute drive from Likely Street.
Morehead Lake
Morehead Lake is 15 to 20 minutes west from the Likely Bridge. Named after William Morehead, a miner and entrepreneur, this lake was dammed to provide water for the Bullion hydraulic mine. Beginning at Polley lake, a series of ditches were dug to Bootjack Lake, Little Lake, Prior Lake and on to the Bullion Mine.
Quesnel Lake
Mostly accessible by boat with a few campsites.
Quesnel Lake is reported to be the deepest fiord lake in the world. At the junction of the North and East Arms, Quesnel Lake is approximately 4 miles across. The North Arm is 25 miles long, the East Arm is 34 miles long and the Main Lake is approximately 50 miles to the outflow of Quesnel River located at Likely, B.C.
Quesnel Lake boasts a trophy fishing population of Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Dolly Varden, and Ling Cod. Be sure to study the fishing regulations for Quesnel Lake before you venture out.
More about Quesnel Lake
A word of caution, not to discourage, but to inform, is that Quesnel Lake can become very stormy, very fast and you will want to be prepared to get off the lake if necessary and stay there until the storm blows over.
Dr. Max Blouw Quesnel River Research Centre
For more information regarding the Quesnel River Research Centre please contact:
Quesnel River
Yanks Peak
Yanks Peak was named after Bill Luce, a well-known American Miner. For the adventurous traveller a trip to Yanks Peak is well worth the time and effort, accessible only by four-wheel vehicles or on foot. Enjoy the fantastic, awe inspiring scenery, of old mines, wildlife and rolling hills, which lead to the historic mining town of Barkerville.
