Nicola Valley

Imagine a magical place where the sun shines on most days of the year on grasslands, rolling hills, historic ranches and shimmering lakes. Such a place exists in the southern interior of BC, where the sun heaps over 2,000 hours of annual sunshine upon Merritt and the Nicola Valley. The charming Nicola Valley is steeped in history; mining and railways, western lifestyle, and First Nations culture.

The name Nicola was given to the famous chieftain Hwistesmetxquen by the early fur traders for the obvious reason that they couldn’t pronounce his Native name. When they tried it phonetically, it sounded vaguely like Nicholas or Nicola, and their mispronunciation has remained.

The range of wildlife and vegetation in the valley varies dramatically with terrain and elevation, and the entire Nicola Valley is filled with amazing natural attractions. Wind erosion has created unique formations in the walls of Windy Canyon near Merritt, and ancient Glacial Shore Lines of 10,000-year-old glacial lakes are visible in the grasslands, particularly along Highway 5A north of Merritt. Ancient volcanic Lava Cliffs can be viewed along the hiking trail at Monck Provincial Park, and amazing Hoodoos can be found along Highway 8, west of Merritt towards Spences Bridge.

The Nicola Valley is served by the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) that travels from Hope north to Kamloops via Merritt. The Coquihalla Highway climbs through the Great Bear Snow Shed, crests the summit of Coquihalla Pass (elevation 4,068 feet/1240 m), then crosses the top of the Thompson Plateau, with side roads leading off into rolling countryside speckled with fishing lakes. The Coquihalla Highway was the only toll road in BC, until the toll was eliminated in September 2008 after recovery of the construction cost of the Hope-to-Merritt section.

Highway 5 follows the Coquihalla River to Merritt and is particularly scenic in the early fall, when rolling fields and forest foliage take on a golden glow. The surrounding Merritt Forest District supports stands of Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine, and subalpine fir at higher elevations; Douglas fir and ponderosa pine are found on the lower benchlands. Extensive grasslands also occur at low-elevation areas, particularly toward Merritt. Moose, mule deer, bears, and grouse are the main wildlife species here, while small numbers of elk and mountain goats find refuge in the south.

Population: 15,000

Location: The Nicola Valley is located in the heart of the Coquihalla, with the economic centre of the valley in Merritt. The main access to the Nicola Valley is via the Coquihalla Highway from Hope and Kamloops. Other access routes include Highway 8 from Spences Bridge, Highway 97C from Ashcroft, Logan Lake and Kelowna, and Highway 5A from Princeton. Driving time from Vancouver is 3 hours, 90 minutes from Kelowna, and less than an hour from Kamloops.