Pemberton, gateway to the interior of British
Columbia, is North of Whistler. This is a logging, ranching and
farming community that lays claim to the title of “Disease-Free
Seed Potato Capital of Canada”. It’s also becoming more
of a resort town, with cafes, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, as
well as many local
crafts and craft shops. The whole region is threaded with rivers
coursing through steep walled alpine valleys and dotted with glacier-fed
lakes, forests, hot springs, parks and campsites. With abundant snow
in winter and warm summers, it’s a year-round playground for
every sort of outdoor pursuit, from golf and llama treks to fishing
and glider or jetboat tours. (604) 894-6175 (May - Oct.)
Attractions/Activities
- Saturday Farmer’s Market. Fresh produce and
cottage industry crafts, July to September.
- Pemberton Museum.
Gold rush exhibits and a settler’s home,
as well as two homes originally belonging to aboriginals.
- Nairn
Falls Provincial Park. Camping, hiking and fishing for Dolly
Varden south of Pemberton.
- Side Trips. Take the Hurley Road to see
ice fields from a distance. In winter, a snowmobile tour lets
you lunch on
these massive
frozen fields. About 10 km. (6 miles) from the start
of Duffey Lake Road, Joffre
Lakes
Provincial Recreation Area features a trail that connects
three turquoise lakes. The gold rush towns of Bralorne
and Gold Bridge
are still welcoming
visitors who are just passing through. Adult sockeye
salmon pass through a fish hatchery at Anderson Lake near D’Arcy
from mid-August to mid-September.
- Mount Currie. Just east
of Pemberton on Hwy. 99, the busy heart of the Mount Currie Reserve
of the Lil’wat group of the Stl’atl’lmx
Nation. Noted for a rodeo on long weekends in May and
September.
- Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park. About 70 km. (42 miles)
past Mount Currie, fishing for kokanee, rainbow trout
and Dolly Varden, and
great wildlife viewing in forests that are home to
moose, deer, black bear, martens,
bobcats and beaver. Mountain goats can also be seen
in spring.
