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Lower North Thompson and Barriere

The Southern Entrance to the North Thompson Valley

Experience down-home, Canadian hospitality in the Lower North Thompson and Barriere. Come for fishing and geocaching, relax with a variety of camping locations, and stick around for the fall fair and rodeo. In the winter there’s ice fishing, snowmobiling, and exploring the backcountry on snowshoes or cross-country skis.

Discover the quiet hamlet of Barriere 20 minutes from the confluence of the North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers, 66 km (41 mi) north of Kamloops on Hwy 5.

This is Cowboy Country

Western roots run deep here so make sure you bring your appetite, boots and hat. Visit Barriere the first weekend of September and you’ll have the chance to experience cowboy culture up close. Celebrate the best of this rural Canadian lifestyle with livestock and rodeo competitions at the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo. Bring the entire family along to the fuel up with fair food and burn it off at the community dances!

Barriere – Beyond the Blacktop

Detour from the highway to explore the trails and lakes surrounding the hamlet of Barriere. Hike on trails that lead to inspiring views. Feast your eyes on rounded mountaintops, fields of avalanche lily, and azure blue lakes fed by underground springs.

Fish and Geocache

Fish to your heart’s content here as there are plenty of places to go, with thriving fish populations in this wild place. There’s fly-in fishing camps and nearby Johnson Lake Resort where you may catch the famous Kamloops Trout. Families have made warm summer memories here for over 60 years. Take an educational tour at the Dunn Creek Fish Hatchery where the Simpcw First Nations conserve and maintain the local Coho population.

Bring your GPS and let geocache clues guide you to hidden treasures. There are several stashes just off the beaten path.

Veer off the highway at the monument to the McLure Wildfire site for a self-guided interpretive tour dedicated to all who helped battle the 2003 blaze and rebuild the community.

The Wonder of Winter in Barriere

Bundle up and explore the Lower North Thompson and Barriere area. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are great ways to connect with nature. The Barriere Lake Ski Trails at Barriere Forks Regional Park on the Barriere River have trails that entice you to stay outside. The park has easy access, plenty of parking and a warming hut.

Open up that throttle and climb! Snowmobiling is popular in the winter months with several resorts open for ice fishing that have access to great snowmobile trails. Check with them for availability and the conditions of the forest service roads and back-roads. You can also contact the Kamloops Snowmobile Association for information on trails in the area.

Have twice the fun by combining ice fishing and snowmobiling. Highway 24 is known as the Fishing Highway. Several fishing resorts are open year round, including:

There’s also great hunting here. Highway 24 is a great area for fall and winter hunting. Stay at one of the local resorts that cater to hunting parties including:

However you choose to explore the Lower North Thompson and Barriere in the winter, our hospitality is sure to keep you warm!

Connect with Lower North Thompson & Barriere

Top Ways to Experience the Lower North Thompson and Barriere

  1. Explore 70 years of tradition at the North Thompson Rodeo and Fall Fair where eight seconds can last a lifetime and lasting memories are made
  2. Lace up your hiking boots, slap on the sunscreen and explore our rural reaches as you Geocache through the region
  3. Stock up, try something new, chat with the locals at the Farmer’s Market every Thursday from May to October.
  4. Learn just how deep our roots are at the North Thompson Museum
  5. Hook, line and sinker, catch your best fish yet at one of our many resorts, including Johnson Lake Resort. Discover your new favourite fishing hole at one of over 100 lakes and area. For something more remote, try fly-in fishing camps.
  6. Get in touch with the land at the Simpcw First Nations Band’s Dunn Creek Fish Hatchery and the First Nation’s Secwepemc Museum & Heritage Park 
  7. Be part of one of Canada’s largest celebrations of First Nations’ culture and heritage in Western Canada at the Kamloopa Pow Wow
  8. Take a splash in Adams Lake, where extreme water sports are the name of the game
  9. The Adams River is famous for the Adams River Salmon Run and when the salmon aren’t running, you get to try your hand at white water rafting with Adams River Rafting.
  10. All aboard the Rocky Mountaineer for tours that run through North Thompson Valley on their way to and from the Rockies.