Being There

Being at Echo Valley Ranch & Spa is a tranquil experience. The ranch is set in the foothills of Mount Bowman and overlooking a valley that crosses the Fraser Canyon. The area is free of all forms of pollution. The air is fresh and clean, the water sparkling clear from one of the five natural springs on the ranch. Relax, and listen to the sounds of silence. On clear nights gaze at the countless stars twinkling above. Enjoy the facilities at the resort, and for the more adventurous, explore the four distinct biomes that surround you.

Horseback Riding

Echo Valley Ranch & Spa is home to more than 30 Horses, many of whom are Tennessee Walkers. These horses are famous for their smooth gait and excellent for all levels of riders. Numerous and various trails surround the ranch offering one to six hour rides. Novice riders can enjoy a two-hour trail ride to the "look-out". Advanced riders can take a packed lunch and ride the range all day, or take a 3 - 5 day guided overnight pack trip.

Terrain covered includes wooded trail rides and alpine meadows, with steep as well as level riding conditions. A full size riding arena is available for horseback riding lessons and special clinics. No matter were you ride, you will feel at one with nature.

Hiking

Echo Valley Ranch & Spa offers a variety of trails for the casual walker, as well as challenging hikes for the adventurous explorer. The EVR Guest Trail is a one-hour circle route on the property passing through the horse and cattle fields. Other unguided trails will take you along a choice of six nature trails, another to the historic Rynehart barn. Guided hikes will take you to the top of Mount Bowman (7,460 feet elev.), or through the forest and down the side of the Fraser canyon to desert conditions at the Fraser river below (abt. 3,500 foot descent), or through lake and marsh lands. No matter which walk or hike that you take, you will be in awe of the natural beauty of the land.

Gold Panning

Starting in 1857, within a year thousands of miners and fortune-seekers had arrived in BC and had journeyed up the Fraser River, eager for a piece of the marvelous, but elusive riches that the river promised. Claims were staked for hundreds of kilometers along the river's banks and on it's sandbars, and the word "Fraser" became world-renowned virtually over night. Although the pay load was later to be discovered elsewhere, by Billy Barker in a town that became Barkerville, it is almost assured that a would be gold panner's will always "show color", when panning for gold, in gravel taken from the Fraser quite close to Echo Valley Ranch & Spa.

Gold panning lessons and slide shows are given at the ranch, and our one time gold prospector, from way back, takes guest out to try their luck in his "secret spots" nearby.

Bird Watching & Falcon Training

Being located in the midst of four distinct biomes results in diverse ecosystems that serve the needs of many species of birds. The "bird list" accounts for over 170 sightings of different birds in and around Echo Valley Ranch & Spa . Bird watching trips are lead by Brian Davies, our resident naturalist, who takes guest to the habitats of the birds that reside or pass through our area. Brian has had a love for birds since he was a young boy and was the manager on the Reiffel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, near Boundary Bay, for fourteen years. Brian also has a passion for raising and training falcons and was the first to work with The Canadian Research Council (NRC) to determine if falcons could be used to deter birds from flying near major airports.

At Echo Valley Ranch & Spa you can see demonstrations of how Gyrfalcons and Peregrine falcons are trained and cared for. At and around the ranch you can enjoy a unique bird watching experience and perhaps add to you "life list" of birds spotted.

Fishing

Good Rainbow trout fishing available at numerous lakes with-in a 30-minute drive from the ranch.

Flight Seeing

The uniqueness of the geographic location of Echo Valley Ranch & Spa becomes dramatically evident when viewed from the air. A one hour "four biome" flight in our Cessna 172 aircraft takes you over rolling grasslands to the Gang Ranch, back down the Fraser Canyon with steep walls, hoodoos and desert like conditions (which, in this location, compares with the Grande Canyon!)to the High Bar Indian reserve; Fly out of the canyon and over the Edge Hills to the Marble Range mountains, circle Mount Bowman at 7500 feet altitude, fly along Starvation Ridge to a Cariboo plateau at 3000 feet of lakes, marsh and forest. Ask to experience water landing before returning back to the ranch! There are many other flight-seeing experiences to be had, how about taking a close-up view of a glacier or two?

Spa & Beauty Treatments