Photo courtesy West Chilcotin Tourism Association

If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, why not check out the West Chilcotin. It’s about as far-out a place as you can get to in British Columbia, and is rugged and generally overlooked by hordes of tourists that flock to more easily accessible locations.

It’s almost the same tableau Sir Alexander MacKenzie would have seen as he made his way to the Pacific Ocean after crossing the Rocky Mountains in

Most of the West Chilcotin is located on a high interior plateau in the rain shadow extending to the north of the Coast Mountain ranges (themselves standing like a snowy fortress north of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland).

While this elevated plateau is warm and dry in summer, and quite cold in the winter, some parts of the region benefit from the warming influences of the Pacific Ocean – you’ll find the wetter, more rainforest type vegetation typical of the BC coast.

The West Chilcotin area itself is divided into a number of subregions – this interactive map provides more information. Isolated and spectacular Tweedsmuir Park defines the landscape. Says the West Chilcotin Tourism Association:

North Tweedsmuir is only accessible by floatplane or hiking from the Chilcotin side. If you would like more information from Parks you’ll find it here at North Tweedsmuir Park.

South Tweedsmuir Park, which forms the north western boundary of the West Chilcotin, is 506,000 hectares and Highway 20 goes right through the middle of it. However, that’s pretty much the extent of ‘easy’ park access. The rest of the park is pure wilderness and a summer and winter playground for outdoor enthusiasts.

Another spectacular feature of the region is famed Freedom Highway (Hwy 20), which travels down the steep slopes of the interior plateau to Bella Coola and the Pacific Ocean, part of a circle tour that extends to Vancouver Island, and back to the Lower Mainland.. The mostly unpaved road is not for the faint-hearted – here’s some YouTube video of the Heckman’s Pass part of the road.

The original road was almost entirely by using funding and support from local residents.

Of course, since most of the region is so unspoiled and relatively inaccessible, trailriding is extremely popular, as is hiking and wilderness touring, fishing, big game hunting, and kayaking. Mountain biking and bicycle touring are also draws in this part of the province.

So if you’re looking for a BC wilderness or ranching vacation, it’s probably a good idea to talk to the people at the West Chilcotin Tourism Association. The have great information on vacation packages.

And be sure to like their Facebook page!