Heffley Creek

• Lodging in this community
• Camping in this community 

Heffley Creek, now inside the boundaries of the City of Kamloops, has its roots as a farming community in the 1860s. The creek was given a French name during the fur trade era and was marked on a 1837 map as Buraigon Creek. The name was later rendered as Bourdignon and Courdignon. During this period the east side of the North Thompson River was one of the routes of the fur brigades on their way to the North.

The first two settlers along the creek were Robert Todd and Samuel Bigham, who were partners in business as packers and were both former Hudson's Bay Company employees. They took out adjoining 160 acre preemptions with Bourdignon (Heffley) Creek as the northern boundary. Todd's lot was more westerly, bordering on the North Thompson River. Bigham was the uncle of Joseph McKay, the Chief Trader at the Hudson's Bay Company post at Kamloops from 1860 to 1865.

By the 1880s other ranchers had settled up the valley towards Heffley Lake and on the heights above the North Thompson River. The Sentinel noted half a dozen different families apart from the major landowners, Edwards, Sullivan and Knouff. The paper also mentioned a good deal of prospecting in the region. In the 1890s many other families settled around Heffley Creek. The Bedard family homesteaded near Knouff Lake in 1898.

Until recent years, when it has become a residential community, Heffley Creek has been primarily a quiet farming village raising cattle, sheep, and mixed vegetables. What conflicts did occur were most often over water rights, as one can imagine in a region where irrigation is essential. Local residents quipped that the people of Heffley would quarrel over dividing the rain drops.

Location

Heffley Creek is located on Hwy 5 26 km (16 mi) north of Kamloops and 40 km (25 mi) south of Barriere. 

Places to See

• Kamloops

Kamloops, a city of 83,000, is the Tournament Capital of Canada. Blessed with an abundance of sunshine and an outdoor enthusiast's dream with all the lakes, fairways and nature trails you'll need for golfing, fishing, boating, kayaking, walking, hiking, and mountain biking.

• Sun Peaks Resort

Sun Peaks ski resort located near Kamloops, is interior British Columbia's largest destination ski resort. Guests enjoy award-winning downhill skiing, snowboarding and cross country skiing in the winter. Summer activities include hiking, golfing and downhill mountain biking. Sun Peaks ski resort's European-style village is nestled at the base of three mountains; Tod Mountain, Sundance and Mt. Morrisey.p.

Things to Do

• Golfing

The Thompson Okanagan region boasts a spectrum of golf courses that are second to none. Described by some as the "Ultimate Golfing Experiece", the Thompson area has rolling hills, majestic mountains, and rugged landscapes, creating vivid surroundings for the professionally designed courses found within the region.

• Fishing

Kamloops is famous for its fishing. The Kamloops trout lure thousands of visitors each year, as they're perfect for fly fishing, and normally weigh between 1.5 to 3 pounds- although some grow up to 5 pounds of more! There is also an abundance of kokanee salmon, Gerrard trout, and eastern brookies.

• Wildlife Viewing

High elevation forests around Kamloops are home to interesting species like boreal owls, moose, singing hermit thrush and chattering red squirrels. You may also see spade foot toads, badgers, dancing sharp-tailed grouse, bighorn sheep, cougars, bears, coyotes and red foxes.

• Hiking

Release your spirit of adventure and come explore the distinctive habitat of the Okanagan's living desert landscape or the cool shadows of the forest and lake area. There are interpretive trails, sightseeing routes, and guided excursions.  

Nearby Communities

Contact Information

Tourism Kamloops
1290 West Trans Canada Highway
Kamloops, British Columbia V2C 6R3
Phone: (250) 372-8000
Fax: (250) 372-2121
Email: inquiry@tourismkamloops.com
Website: www.tourismkamloops.com