NOTE - This is not a paid review. We flew there on our own dime and paid the standard rate that everyone pays for our stay. The folks at Echo Valley didn't even know we were going to write a blog or review.
In April of, 2019 we flew to the Echo Valley Ranch & Spa - deep in the interior of BC. The ranch is located in the mountains, about an hour's drive from Clinton BC - with half that along a dirt road.
But getting there by light-plane is the way to go. They have a private paved runway there, and the flight from Vancouver takes about 90 minutes along the spectacular scenery of the Frazer Canyon.
Just West of Chilliwack, the Tulip Festival was going on. This is one of two large Tulip producers in the area. Now I know what a Tulip Field looks like from the air.
Lytton BC is half way up the Fraser Canyon on the way to Lillooet. In the picture below you can see the old Lytton Runway (now closed). We're looking East - down the Nicola Valley, which leads towards Merritt.
There is no fuel at Echo Valley, so we decided to stop in Lillooet to fill up. We wanted the option of flying home from the ranch without having to stop again. Lillooet has a very pretty airport.
We circled overhead Lillooet to gain altitude because there was a pretty high mountain ridge to the North that we needed to cross next.
Below you can see the approach to the runway at Echo Valley Ranch. You can't tell in the picture,
Echo Valley Ranch is beautiful! And quiet! It's 30 minutes by dirt road to the nearest community and there is no cell service.
One of the many out-of-the-ordinary things that guests can do at the ranch is to take the pigs out for their daily walk. How many people do you know that have done that?
While walking in the woods, on one of the many trails through this area, we came across a flock of wild turkeys. Later we found them (or another flock?) wandering around on the runway. Good to know.
The many private cabins on the site offer spectacular accomodations! Below is one of the "Thai" themed rooms.
The price includes 3 meals a day, served in the common dining room and specially prepared by "Chef". The food was fabulous! Worth writing home about (which, I suppose, is what we're doing).
Our stay included access a fishing and hunting guide. Our Nufi guide (with his thick Newfoundland accent) taught us how to fly cast at one of the on-site lakes.
Norm (the owner) and his Thai wife originally purchased the Ranch as a place to live. Now it's a Thailand-themed mountain ranch.
The minimum stay at Echo Valley is 2 nights. And one needs it. There is a lot to see and do.