Discover Quesnel: River Trails, Bike Park and History

Quesnel is located at the confluence of the Quesnel River and the Fraser River. When planning a stay, you can focus on different things: the region’s history, trails through the river landscape, and opportunities for hiking or cycling. This lets you choose the places and activities that suit your interests.

River Landscape and Trails

The Riverfront Trail System is paved and gives residents and visitors access to the river landscape. It consists of two loops: Downtown and West Quesnel. The names help you navigate between the two route sections; the trail system as described consists of exactly these loops. Another way to explore Quesnel on foot is the Painted Fire Hydrant Walking Tour. It starts at City Hall, at the corner of Kinchant Street and St. Laurent Avenue.

West Fraser Timber Park has a network of hiking and cycling trails. When comparing the options, the activity is a useful guide: the Riverfront Trail System connects two loops with access to the river landscape, while West Fraser Timber Park offers trails for hiking and cycling. The walking tour, meanwhile, is easy to navigate thanks to its starting point at City Hall.

Cycling and Parks

The Quesnel Bike Park caters to cyclists with trails and practice areas. Its facilities include rubberized and paved pump tracks, a balance park, and progressive dirt jumps. These features offer different types of practice within the park. Visitors can rent bicycles at the Quesnel & District Recreation Centre next to Quesnel Bike Park.

LeBourdais Park is in North Quesnel and includes a playground, a spray park, a bandstand, and a Little League baseball field. Alongside the museum in the park, this offers another focus, distinct from the trail systems and the bike park: here, park facilities and regional history come together.

History at the Museum and Heritage Sites

The Quesnel Museum houses thousands of artifacts and many stories about the region’s history. Its collections include rare Chinese artifacts from the gold rush era. In addition to its collections, the museum offers a children’s activity centre and a scavenger hunt. Visitors can therefore include both historical topics and the activities mentioned for younger guests in their plans.

The Quesnel Pioneer Cemetery is also connected with stories from local history. A small guide published by the museum is available in the museum shop; it highlights the stories of some notable residents buried there. A memorial stone honouring Chinese pioneers was erected in the cemetery in 2008. Many of them lie in graves that are now unmarked. The date and this note about the unmarked graves are as much a part of the memorial’s history as its commemoration of the Chinese pioneers.

Another heritage site is the Hudson’s Bay Company building in Quesnel. It is believed to be the oldest surviving Hudson’s Bay post in Canada on its original site. Heritage Corner features interpretive and commemorative signage as well as many original historical artifacts. Both places offer a different way to explore history than the museum collection: the focus here is on a historic building and on signage and artifacts.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Puntzi Lake, 108 Mile Ranch, Redstone, Anahim Lake, 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Lone Butte, Lac La Hache.

For the broader travel overview: Cariboo.