"Enjoy the Nicola Valley's sunshine, vast countryside and numerous fishing lakes."

MERRITT, BC - The heart of the Nicola Valley

Merritt is the service centre for the ranch country of the Nicola Valley and provides an excellent base for exploring the many outdoor recreational opportunities in the area. The are is home to open grassy fields and rich marshland, as well as Canada's largest working cattle ranch, the Douglas Lake Ranch.

The Nicola Valley is located in the heart of the Coquihalla, with the economic centre of the valley in Merritt. The main access to the Nicola Valley is via the Coquihalla Highway from Hope and Kamloops. The Coquihalla Highway climbs through the Grat Bear Snow Shed, crests the summit of Coquihalla Pass (elevation 4, 068 feet/1240 m), then crosses the top of the Thompson Plateau, with side roads leading off into rolling countryside speckled with fishing lakes. Other access routes include Highway 8 from Spences Bridge, Highway 97C and Ashcroft, Logan Lake, Kelowna and less than an hour from Kamloops.

Highway 5 follows the Coquihalla River to Merritt and is particularly scenic in the early fall, when rolling fields and forest foliage take on a golden glow. the surrounding Merritt Forest District supports stands of Engelmann sprice, lodgepole pine and sub-alpine fir at higher elevations; Douglas fir and ponderosa pine are found on the lower benchlands. Extensive grasslands also occur at low-elevations areas, particularly toward Merritt.

Because the range of wildlife and vegetation in the valley varies so dramatically with terrain and elevation, the entire Nicola Valley is filled with amazing natural attractions.

Come and visit Merritt - florish under the sun.

www.merritt.ca