If you’re looking for a quiet, peaceful, uncrowded getaway… meet Clearwater! Located north of Kamloops, Clearwater is actually the gateway to Wells Gray Provincial Park and like its name suggests, is a place of pure, clear water.
Clearwater is a vacation paradise of sorts, as the magnificent mountains make an amazing backdrop to pretty much any you’re about to do. It’s remote but does have three distinct centres: the old village beside the Thompson River, the new townsite on the far side of the Clearwater Bridge and alongside the highway where a few hotels, eateries, service stations and the Visitor Centre can be accessed.
Interested in waterfalls? Golf? Winter activities? Trout hatcheries? Provincial parks? Whitewater rafting? Skiing? Maybe a more down-to-earth farm tour is more your speed? From wine tasting to guided horseback rides on a working cattle ranch, Clearwater has it all!
Facts
• Wells Gray Provincial Park is one of BC’s largest parks at 515,785 hectares, with five major lakes, two large rivers and plenty of waterfalls, rapids even small streams to enjoy
• The Clearwater Trout Hatchery, which raises trout through the winter for spring release, offers free tours by appointment.
• Cross country skiing, snowmobiling, telemark skiing, ice skating, curling or ice fishing for rainbow trout are just a few of the winter sports enjoyed here.
• See the best of the area on the Okanagan & Kootenay Rockies Circle Tour. Beginning north through the Okanagan to Sicamous, into the mountains of the BC Rockies along Hwy 1. Then from Golden, head south through the Columbia Valley to Creston, then west to the Southern Okanagan, ending in Osoyoos.
The temperate climate brings Clearwater warm summers, cool winters and significant precipitation throughout the year in – around 500 mm (19.7 inches) annually.
Destination BC is developing a new campaign to promote hyper-local travel where residents are “tourists-in-their own hometown,” while practising the COVID-19 safety protocols as recommended by the B.C. Provincial Health Officer. Many B.C. parks are now open, and national parks were to open as of June 1.
(Check this website for current details on travel.)
Getting Here
Driving: Clearwater is 341.6 km (212 mi) from Vancouver, with a driving time of just under five hours.
Dream now, travel later. To plan for future adventures here and throughout the West Coast, visit westcoasttraveller.com