Welcome To
Horsefly - Likely

While Barkerville was certainly the hub of the Cariboo Gold Rush it was actually at Horsefly that it all began. It was the spring of 1858 and a Shuswap man named Long Bacheese (Baptiste) led Peter Dunlevy and a small group of American miners to pay dirt on the Horsefly River. News of strike spread like wild fire. Miners flocked to the area and the village of Horsefly grew to meet their needs. Be sure to visit the local Jack Lynn Museum to get the full goods on the story of the first strike.
You can easily plan a circle tour that includes Horsefly and its neighbouring town, Likely is located where the west arm of Quesnel Lake empties into the Quesnel River. A good gravel road runs between the two towns and provides excellent river and lake views. Likely is one of only a few remaining gold rush settlements in the Cariboo.

The Likely/ Horsefly area is a spectacular place to be in late August and September when thousands of salmon migrate up the Quesnel River to their spawning grounds on the Horsefly and Mitchell Rivers.