Located north of Hope British Columbia along the Coquihalla Highway #5.  The Merritt and Nicola Valley are a mecca for those who enjoy the outdoors.  “A lake a day as long as you stay!” and that's not a fishing story.  There are numerous hiking trails of varying degrees and in the winter cross country skiing is fantastic.  Take a tour of the Highland Valley Copper Mine, one of the worlds largest open pit mines.  Located 30 miles ( 55 km ) north of Merritt on Highway #97C.  Also tour the Canadian Fallow Deer Farm that runs of 3,000 fallow deer on 750 acres of irrigated grasses and natural vegetation. 

The Coast Mountains shelter the Nicola Valley from the wet westerly winds leaving grassland, sagebrush and summer sunshine,  winters are mild too, with only a scattering of snow in the valley. 

The natural open bunchgrass rangeland in the lower elevations surrounding Merritt is home to a dozen large cattle ranches including Canada's largest, the Douglas Ranch which is over 500,000 acres and 20,000 head of cattle. 

The higher elevation upland plateau is a rich resource of lodgepole pine, fir and spruce.  The timber-clad slopes are also home to deer, moose, elk and a wide variety of birds and other wildlife.  Hundreds of cool clear lake in the valley and on the upland plateau are home to Kamloops trout, one of the wildest strains of Rainbow trout in the world. 

BC Dept of Highways Information