This 6,000 resident town on Highway 5 is about midway between Kamloops and Hope on the Coquihala Highway, and about 108 km from Peachland in the Okanagan, via the Coquihalla Connector. Merritt site in the middle of prime ranching country at the junction of the Coldwater River and the Nicola River as its flows west toward the Fraser River. The valleys contain about 150 small lakes, ideal for rainbow and cutthroat trout, as well as Kokanee and Dolly Varden char.
The town was created in 1906 due to a coal mining boom, and is particularly proud of the grand Coldwaterr Hotel, built in 1908 for $6,000, and was once the finest hotel in BC’s interior. The town also has the nine-hole Merrit Golf and Country Club, and the 9-hole Nicola Valley Golf Course and RV Park. There are plenty of trails in the era, including the Queen’s Char Trail (on Juniper Driver), Godey Creek Trail (at junction of highways 5 and 5a), and in Kane Valley (17 km east of Merritt on highway 97C) which is also popular for cross-country skiing.
Other Links
Attractions
Nicola Valley Museum and Archives
2202 Jackson Ave
250-378-4145
History of the Nicola Valley and Craigmont Mine, as well as information about area coal mining, ranching and the area natives.