Riske Creek
Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park in Riske Creek, BC | Grant HarderRiske Creek is a small community set amidst sweeping grasslands on the eastern border of the Chilcotin, 47km/29mi west of Williams Lake. The town is named after Polish pioneer and settler L.W. Riske, who built a sawmill and flour mill during the 1860s from which he sent supplies and produce to the Cariboo goldfields. The history of the area can be relived by visiting Historic Chilcotin Lodge. Built in 1940 as a hunting lodge, the pioneer-style log building is one of the last remaining authentic lodging facilities in the Chilcotin.
Just south of Riske Creek near the confluence of the Fraser and Chilcotin rivers on Farwell Canyon Road is Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park, a 4,573hec/11,300ac preserve that shelters approximately 500 California bighorn sheep. Come here to see the bighorns amongst hoodoos, watching them scale the steep sandstone riverbanks in their natural setting. Black bears, coyote, foxes and cougar also roam the surrounding area. Farwell Canyon’s desert-dry limestone and sandstone walls feature hoodoos and other intriguing water-carved formations. Hikers can view ancient pictographs on the cliff faces and experience the thrill of watching First Nation fishermen dip-netting for salmon in the late summer.
Accommodations & Attractions
Historic Chilcotin Lodge
The Lodge is located in Riske Creek on the Chilcotin Plateau, not far from the confluence of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers. It is also close to both the Junction Sheep Range Park which contains a large herd of California…