As you travel east to west through the Robson Valley, you will see the Fraser River transform from crystal clear to the blue/green glacial till filled river found on the west coast where it spills into the Pacific Ocean. Locals enjoy jetboating and canoeing on the Fraser River, as well as fishing in season.
Prior to the completion of the railway through the Yellowhead Pass and McBride, sternwheelers, traveling on the Fraser River, brought people and materials to the area.
A short walk from the McBride Visitor Centre to an old marshy channel of the Fraser River. There is an observation platform, gazebo and 2 picnic tables here.
This is a great place for bird watching in late spring and summer. You may see northern harriers, ospreys, grebes, song sparrows,common yellowthroats, kingfishers, warblers, Canada geese, coots and a wide variety of duck species.
Horseshoe Lake, formed from an oxbow channel of the Fraser River, boasts a variety of bird species. A mobility friendly walkway takes you over water to the covered gazebo where you can enjoy the peaceful surroundings. From the Visitor Centre to the gazebo is 1.3 km. Ask at the Visitor Centre for the complete Robson Valley bird list.
Horseshoe Lake, formed from an oxbow channel of the Fraser River, boasts a variety of bird species. A mobility friendly walkway takes you over water to the covered gazebo where you can enjoy the peaceful surroundings. From the Visitor Centre to the gazebo is 1.3 km.
Ask at the Visitor Centre for the complete Robson Valley bird list or check us out online at visitmcbride.ca
The LaSalle Lake Recreation Site, maintained by the McBride Community Forest, is about about 46 km west of McBride on Highway 16. This site has recently been expanded and offers 20 campsites (picnic tables and fire rings), 2 outhouses, bear proof garbage containers, firewood, a small beach area, dock and swimming/diving platform.
LaSalle Lake is a non-motorized lake and provides good fishing opportunities as it is stocked with trout. Near the crest of a hill, there is a sign to the left (south side) denoting the La Salle Lake road and recreation site. This is a short gravel road road traveling downhill through remnants of a cedar/hemlock forest ending at one of the La Salle Lakes.
A smaller second La Salle Lake is accessed from a gravel parking area on the left (south) side of Highway 16, 2km east of the road to the first lake above. A short hiking trail through old-growth spruce reaches the second La Salle Lake. Watch for birds and amphibians.
46 km west of McBride, just east of Crescent Spur. The east lake, which offers smaller rainbow, has a blazed footpath to a canoe launch. The west lake, another 1.5 km westward and 1.5 km off Hwy 16, has a rustic overnight campsite with tables, fire pits, a swimming dock, small boat launch (no motors please), beach and some big eastern brook trout. An opportunity for ice fishing, but the access road may not be plowed in winter.
Easy/One km. The signed trail maintained by the McBride Community Forest, is located off Highway 16, about 11 km east of McBride, before the Highway 16 bridge over the Beaver/Holmes River. The trail travels upstream along the north side of the Beaver River. A falls is located within 1 km of the parking area. Watch for Douglas-fir forests, salmon, and black bear.
The Beaver (Holmes) River Recreation Site is located on the east bank of the Beaver River. You can access the site by turning north off Highway 16 and travelling 1 km up the Holmes Forest Service Road.
This recreation site offers 8-10 campsites (picnic tables and fire rings), an outhouse, firewood and garbage pickup during the summer months. During the fall salmon run, visitors can view spawning salmon at a side channel of the Beaver River located at km 5 on the Holmes Forest Service Road. Caution should always be used when traveling on potentially active logging roads.
One of the Robson Valley’s most popular hikes! This family-friendly out and back trail rewards hikers with picnic spots at the lake after only 1.7km. Many take a dip in the warm water or try their hand at fishing. Adventurous hikers can add a few extra kilometers and some steep climbs for views of a small waterfall.
The trailhead is located 64km east of McBride on Highway 16. Park at the (second) rest area on the right (south), about 1km east of the weigh scales. Cross the highway at the west end of the rest area and you will find a sign at the trailhead. with parking 1km east of the weigh scales. Cross the highway at the west end of the rest area and you will find a sign at the trailhead.
Your gateway to the Rocky Mountains with stunning view of McBride, the Robson Valley, the Rocky Mountain Trench as well as the Rocky and Cariboo Mountains.
A fire lookout, built in 1930, is located near the peak. Building materials for it were hauled up by packhorses on the steep mountain trail. A second building at the Halfway Viewpoint provided an overnight stop for staff going to the top, and served as a lookout during spring before snow melted at higher elevations. Built by the industrious Fred Koeneman, this historic cabin still overlooks McBride and Fred’s homestead (now Koeneman Park).
The site, maintained by Rec Sites and Trails BC and the McBride Community Forest, offers picnic tables, fire rings and a pit toilet. The road is steep with several switchbacks, so 4WD is recommended beyond 6km on the McBride Peak Forest Service Road. The alpine is strictly non-motorized. 2km east of McBride on Highway 16 to Mountainview Road, 1km to McBride Peak FSR and then 12km on the FSR to a parking area in the sub-alpine.
McBride Mountain Trails on the lower flanks of the McBride Peak offer visitors opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding in summer, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter. More information at www.mcbridetrails.ca
A gem in the Robson Valley and only 8km west of McBride, the Bell Mountain Recreation Area is a four-season playground for the intrepid adventure seeker!
In summer, horseback riders and hikers explore the many trails that wind across the mountain, including into the alpine. Those with horses have the opportunity to free camp at the new McIntosh Equestrian Recreation Site at the base of Bell. ATVers can enjoy stunning view of the Robson Valley from Belle Mountain Forest Service Road.
In winter, nordic skiers, snowshoers, backcountry skiers and snowmobilers take advantage of the snowy Cariboos and the abundance of opportunities for adventure at Bell.
Travel 8.5km west of McBride to the Belle Mountain Forest Service Road and head up this 2WD logging road to the 4.5km parking lot. Trails start here and further up the road, 4WD beyond this point.
An award-winning snowmobiler’s heaven for the more seasoned rider, Mount Renshaw is McBride’s flagship riding area with a variety of terrain from meadows to creeks, low angle to super steep alpine. Managed in cooperation with the McBride Big Country Snowmobile Association, the Renshaw boasts the largest managed riding area in BC with 30 km of groomed trail to the alpine and a warming cabin.
Trail head is located 21 km by road north of McBride. Drive 2 km east of downtown on Highway 16, turn left onto Mountain View Road, continue 19 km to trail head and parking lot.
Check out sledmcbride.ca/renshaw for more information and trail conditions.
Another of McBride’s 3 managed snowmobiling areas, Lucille Mountain is a winter paradise for riders and host to a number of family-friendly snowmobiling events. Located only moments from McBride, Lucille Mountain will satisfy every level of rider from novice to expert and is ridable earlier and later in the season than other areas.
The trailhead is located only 3km south of McBride off Sansom Road and then 13km of groomed trail to the alpine and warming cabin.
In summer, Lucille Mountain is a popular berry picking and hiking area (4WD access), offering stunning views of the Rocky Mountains, including Mount Robson.
Bookending the Robson Valley to the east, Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and home to the second oldest provincial park in BC! Mount Robson offers family-friendly hikes (Kinney Lake), overnight permitted hiking (Berg Lake) and opportunities for mountaineering and ski-mountaineering. Only 76 km east of McBride, along Highway 16, Mount Robson Park boasts some of the most spectacular and popular hiking trails in the Province including the famous Berg Lake Trail.
The Park offers seasonal camping, an incredible visitor centre, essential services like fuel and the famous Café Mt. Robson, which has been welcoming visitors from around the world for over 100 years! More information about this year-round park can be found online at Mount Robson Park
These two magnificent Cariboo Range glaciers are located on different forks at the back of the Dore River Forest Service Road that starts only 5km west of McBride.
The Kristi Glacier trail, at the back of the centre Dore, takes hikers along a creek to the Cariboo Pass. . Scenic waterfall, alpine meadows and great views of glaciers await seasoned hikers. Backcountry campsite with camp pads and privacy available.
The Roberts Glacier, at the back of the Dore River FSR south, is located in Avalanche Valley. Sturdy hikers will find a spectacular views of the Roberts Glacier and mountain ranges to the south and west.
An easy 2km out and back walk alongside the west side of Beaver/Holmes River with opportunities to view a small waterfall and, in August, migrating salmon. Look for 10 species of trees along the trail. 11km east of McBride on the north side of the Beaver/Holmes River.
Hikers keen to traverse the length of the Berg Lake Trail at Mount Robson will be rewarded with views of countless waterfalls and glaciers, including the Valley of Thousand Falls.
White Falls, Falls of the Pool and Emperor Falls are all located on the Robson River and along the famous Berg Lake Trail. Head 76km east of McBride along Highway 16 and stop by the Visitor Centre for more information.
The Rearguard Falls viewpoint provides an excellent opportunity for travelers to witness the end of a long journey by the Chinook, largest of the Pacific salmon.
These fish have survived several years at sea to return to the river of their birth, the mighty Fraser. From its estuary in British Columbia’s lower mainland to this point, the Chinook have traveled upstream over 1200km. Some may be successful battling over these falls to reach the gravel above, but for most, Rearguard Falls marks the end of their journey.
The 15 minute walk takes to you fenced viewpoints with excellent and impressive views of the Fraser River cascading over a rock ledge. Located 71km east of McBride on Highway 16, 5 km east of the Tete Jaune junction of Highways 5 and 16. More information at Rearguard Falls Trail
McBride has a rich history! For centuries, the Yellowhead Pass was an aboriginal trading route. The nineteenth century brought explorers, gold seekers and surveyors, and in 1872, surveying began to find railway routes through the Rocky Mountains, including for a rail way route from the prairies west to the coast. The Grant Trunk Pacific Railway Company surveyed and constructed a railway route from 1911 to 1914, including the site of McBride, known then as Mile 90.
McBride townsite was laid out in a standard Grand Trunk Pacific Railway design with the railway station as the focus of Main Street, flanked by two parks, and it remains the same to this day. 90 was renamed McBride in 1913, after Richard McBride, the Premier of British Columbia.
Today, over 100 years later, the Village of McBride retains the look and feel of an historic railway community, with the iconic heritage railway station at the head of Main Street that still receives visitors by rail, and old-fashioned, turn of the century rail-themed architecture along the length of Main. Main Street is flat and walkable and home to unique shopping and visitor experiences.
McBride’s Historic Train Station has been operating for over 100 years and is a must see attraction!
Build in 1919 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the picturesque station has historical and architectural significance with distinctive features unique to construction of the time.
The station houses McBride’s Visitor Information Centre, a bustling café, the beautiful Whistlestop Gallery selling locally made arts and crafts and hosts VIA Rail Passenger service several times a week. The station is open to visitors 7 days a week. The present station was completed in 1919 on the sturdy foundations of the original, which was lost to fire in 1918.
For decades, particularly before the construction of Highway 16 connecting McBride to Prince George and Jasper, meeting the passenger train was major entertainment for residents. The station was where one went to collect mail, ship milk and cream, pick up supplies, send a telegram, have a warm meal at the 24-hour Beanery Restaurant, or just catch up on town gossip.
Much of the ground floor of the station has been renovated along 1920 lines with locally grown and milled wood. The station is a gathering place for community members and visitors alike and accessibility improvements at the station, planned for 2025, will make this bustling landmark even more welcoming.
A self-guided tour of McBride’s iconic historic sites and building, including the Cinder Path, McBride’s Farmer’s Institute (oldest in the Province), the Empress Theatre and more. Head to the McBride Visitor Centre in the Railway Station to pick up a brochure.
McBride’s scale model solar system began during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. The model, running the length of Main Street, is made to be enjoyed year round, with planetary orbits painted on the sidewalks and orbit signs on Main Street light posts. A colour information kiosk and brochure guide you on your astronomical journey.
Starting from the model Sun (a street lamp globe at the corner of Main and First) walk or wheel down Main Street and find each planet’s orbit as you head to the outer solar system. At approximately 3 billion-to-one scale, the walk from the Sun to Neptune is 1.5km, 3km return. Yellow arrows show where the model orbits cross Main Street sidewalks, and signs on lamp posts show the exact scale model size of each planet.
Perhaps unique for a model of this size, you can keep an eye on the model sun and see how it changes size as you rocket down the street to Saturn!
Late 2024 is a great time to see the outer solar system from the Robson Valley, with the largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn prominent in the late evening sky. Uranus and Neptune are visible too, with small telescopes.
We are catching up with our rusty looking neighbour Mars, which rises soon after Jupiter.
By their nature, planets are always on the move. For some ways to find out where things are, here are some excellent links to explore: theskylive.com
Up to the moment sun spot and flare information, aurora alerts, space station flyovers, and much more: www.spaceweather.com
Bookending Main Street is McBride’s local museum. The Valley Museum & Archives, at 521 Main Street, collects, preserves, restores and displays records and objects of scientific, educational, historical and cultural value associated with the area. This welcoming space hosts 4-6 unique shows every year, sponsors art workshops, lectures and features local artists. Pop in to see what’s on display in the museum, check out heritage farming and logging equipment, view historic-image murals and more. More information at valleymuseumarchives.ca