Quesnel to Marguerite
Quesnel → Margeurite
Crossing the Cariboo Plateau
Quesnel → Margeurite
This stretch of the Fraser River stretches out across the rolling expanses of the Cariboo Plateau, where the land opens and the sky takes over.
Launching from Quesnel, the river winds through a rich mix of farmland, grasslands, and untouched pockets of wilderness. Dense pine and Douglas-fir forests gradually give way to a drier, more open biogeoclimatic zone. The terrain softens into broad benches and rolling hills, with grazing cattle, sweeping horizons, and sunlit slopes shaping the view. This is big-sky paddling—spacious, exposed, and distinctly Cariboo.
Wildlife is ever-present. Bald eagles patrol the thermals, deer move quietly along the banks, and bears forage during salmon season. Flocks of aquatic birds gather in back channels and eddies, while salmon pulse upstream beneath your canoe.
The river maintains steady momentum as it flows across the plateau, carving subtle terraces and cutbanks. The landscape feels expansive and elemental—less enclosed, more horizon-driven. You sense elevation and distance here, as the Fraser steadily works its way southward.
The journey concludes near Marguerite Ferry, where paddlers can bring up to two additional guests for an outdoor Salmon BBQ, presentations, and a celebration of the Fraser River Challenge.
Why this stretch is special
Classic Cariboo Plateau terrain: rolling hills, grasslands, and open country
Clear ecological transition into a drier interior landscape
Excellent wildlife viewing: eagles, bears, deer, salmon, and waterfowl
Expansive horizons and steady downstream flow
Finish the day with a salmon BBQ
This is a canoe journey defined by space and scale—a passage across the open Cariboo where the Fraser moves with quiet power beneath wide skies and rolling land.
Dënéndeh
Simpcw/Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwépemc)
Tŝilhqot’in Nen
Australian
Castle Rock
Kersley
Narcosli Creek
Quesnel
Rich Bar
