Located southeast of 100 Mile House, Lone Butte was once the Cariboo’s largest town, and a busy centre for the ranchers who settled in the area from the turn of the century to the 1950’s.
At that time, Lone Butte was much bigger than 100 Mile House, with stockyards, lumber mills, and the Lone Butte Hotel, which dated back to the 1920’s. Unfortunately, this heritage hotel was destroyed by fire in January 1998.
Lone Butte today is a quiet little town with a BC Railway station, cafes, restaurants, shops, and a rather impressive log pub. At the centre of countless lakes providing great swimming, boating and fishing, Lone Butte has numerous resorts, guest ranches and campgrounds to offer the visitor.
Location: Lone Butte is located 25 kilometres southeast of 100 Mile House, on Highway 24.
The “Butte” in Lone Butte is the hardened plug of an ancient volcano. Hikers can climb the 250 foot-high butte for a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
The community’s wooden water tower beside the railway tracks is one of the last existing structures of its kind in BC, built in 1920 to service the steam locomotives of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway.
Rise above the rest, at the Mt. Begbie Lookout, 16 kilometres south of 100 Mile House, for excellent views as far as Wells Gray Park in the east and the Marble Range to the west.
A little north of Lone Butte is Horse Lake, a favourite fishing spot for locals and visitors alike. Bring along your rod for a few languid hours of fly-fishing for the plentiful rainbow and lake trout here.
The small but beautifully situated Bridge Lake Provincial Park is particularly popular with anglers looking for rainbow and lake trout. It will win the heart of anyone who has the good fortune to spend a night here, particularly in fall, once the mosquito season has ended. A walking trail skirts the lake and provides an excellent afternoon’s exercise. There are vehicle/tent sites and walk-in campsites at Bridge Lake, 40 km east of Lone Butte.
West of 100 Mile House you’ll find another wonderful wilderness recreation area, Moose Valley Provincial Park. Bring your cameras or binoculars to get a closer look at the bald eagles, sand cranes and moose you’ll see while you take a few inspiring days to canoe the chain of 12 lakes that make up the park.
Green Lake of Green Lake Provincial Park is wide and shallow, fed by two small creeks, lake-bottom springs, and upland runoff. Located 15 km south of Lone Butte, this lake is excellent for both summer and winter recreation. The undulating plateau and highlands around the lake have become a cross-country skier’s paradise; sandy beaches dot the irregular shoreline at five spots, and there are vehicle/tent campsites at three locations in the park. Naturalists should stop here to observe the thriving avian population of eagles and osprey, as well as loons and a variety of ducks.
Fishing Highway 24: Lone Butte is located on the access route (Highway 24) to the hundreds of lakes of the Interlakes District. The largest of these lakes are Bridge Lake and Sheridan Lake, which holds spectacular-sized rainbow trout in the 14 to 16-pound range. The best time to try your luck here is as soon as the ice is off the lakes in May. Mayfly hatch brings out the fly fishers for rainbow trout as well as burbot.
Winter: In winter, this area is a popular skiing destination, for both downhill and Nordic skiers. The area boasts a 200-km trail system; one of the best, most beautiful and most extensively groomed networks in North America, and one of the longest in Canada. Trail passes are required for use of the groomed trail system. 100 Mile House hosts the annual Cariboo Cross-country Marathon, that draws an international field of between 700 and 1,000 Nordic ski enthusiasts to the second oldest loppet in Canada. The race is held in February, and covers lengths of 10, 20 30 and 50 kilometres.
Dog Sledding: Experience the romance and thrill of Dog Sledding through Cariboo Country, where the heavy and reliable snowfalls provide excellent backcountry trails. Local companies will take you on a short tour, or set you up to mush your own team of enthusiastic and friendly huskies.
Circle Tour: See the best of the Cariboo, Chilcotin and BC Coast on the Discovery Coast Circle Tour. Cross to Vancouver Island from Vancouver and head north, boarding the Queen of Chilliwack in Port Hardy. Return to the mainland at Bella Coola, and enjoy the grassy plateaus, rolling meadows, picturesque canyons and high mountain peaks of the Chilcotin. The old Cariboo Wagon Road will lead you back to Vancouver through the heart of the Cariboo region. The Inside Passage Tour, the Native Heritage Tour, and the Circle Tour of Northern BC all incorporate the Cariboo Highway 97 for the journey between Prince George and Vancouver.
Circle Tours in British Columbia.
