Welcome
The Wells Hotel has been a historic Cariboo icon and accommodation experience since 1934, serving the Wells, Barkerville, Bowron Lakes, and Troll Ski Resort areas. Now under new management, our vision for the hotel is a place where discovery and community connect us. We pride ourselves on providing exceptional guest experience and authentic connection with the Cariboo community and its rich history.
The Wells Hotel
The iconic Wells Hotel was opened in 1934 at the dawn of the hard rock mining rush in Wells, BC. It has been the primary accommodation provider in Wells and a pillar of the town’s identity ever since. Today, the Wells Hotel services travelers to the Wells and greater are, including neighbouring Troll Ski Resort, and the World -class destinations of Barkerville Historic Town & Park and the Bowron Lakes Canoe Chain.
The hotel is open year-round and features 13 guest rooms and a roof-top hot tub on on the second floor and a pub, lounge, restaurant, and seasonal patios on the main floor. History and charm are present throughout the building, including:
- A continental breakfast to start the day off right
- Three crackling fireplaces, each faced with ore from the Wells mines
- Unique guest rooms featuring original fir and birch flooring
- Fragrance-free room cleaning
- Pet-friendly rooms
- Roof-top hot tub with a view of Slide Mountain
- Historic photographs and artifacts from the Wells Historical Society
- One of the largest single malt Scotch collections in Western Canada and over 50+ varieties of BC craft beers and wines
- Regular live music performances in the Pub
- Free WiFi
Your Stay
You’ll find the lodging unique, the accommodations complete, the guest rooms comfy and our staff friendly. Our hotel is the perfect place for recharging, romancing or relaxing with your friends, and great for meetings and celebrations.
Meet new friends in The Wells Hotel Pub. Then, sink into a cozy chair beside a roaring fire. Browse our little library or break out something from our collection of board games. Explore the hallways and check out the many 1930s photos ton display from the Wells Historical Society.
Cozy Accommodation
From the foyer of The Wells Hotel, a wood staircase, reflecting solid 1930s construction, leads to 13 cozy guest rooms on the second floor. A number of different room sizes and set-ups are available. Extensive renovations have provided every room with a bath and many other improvements. Original fir flooring throughout leads to a roof top hot tub (now re-open!) with a splendid view of the surrounding mountains. Heavenly!
Book Your Stay
Rates
Summer Season Rates
June 1 – September 30, 2023:
Economy rooms: $75/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Standard rooms: $100/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Deluxe rooms: $115/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Shoulder Season Rates
October 1 – December 15, 2023 & April 1 – May 30, 2024
Economy rooms: $60/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Standard rooms: $80/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
|Deluxe rooms: $100/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Snow Season Rates
December 16, 2023 – March 31, 2024
Economy rooms: $70/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Standard rooms: $90/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Deluxe rooms: $110/night for single occupancy, plus $15 per additional person
Children 12 and under stay for free
The Wells Hotel Pub
Our kitchen serves dinner daily in the Pub, which is stocked with more than 50 different kinds of beer, ranging from pale and crisp, to dark and lustrous, to fruity and exotic; imports, domestics, and specialty beers and lagers.
The Wells Hotel also features western Canada’s largest privately owned Single Malt Scotch collection, with over 300 different varieties on the shelf, ranging in age from a young eight years to a mature 31, and from strong and smoky to clean and smooth.
The Pub is open for dinner service daily except Thursdays from 5 pm – 9 pm. Minors are allowed in the Pub when accompanied by a parent or guardian, up until 10 pm.
Music & Entertainment
The Wells Hotel is widely known as a music venue. Bands, many of whom have played at the famous Arts Wells Festival of All Things Art, often stop to share their songs and stories with us. Listen to music on our 1950’s Wurlitzer juke box. Or, pick up one of our instruments and bring your own music to life.
Into sports? Cheer on your favourite team on our 61-inch flat screen TV or play a game of pool on our 1908 Brunswick table.
The Kitchen
The Hotel Kitchen currently offers food service in the Pub daily, except Thursdays, from 5 pm to 9 pm. Light continental breakfast is included in the room rate and is served for hotel guests daily from 7 am to 10 am.
The Dining Room
Our kitchen is open for daily dinner service from 5 pm – 9pm, except Thursday, and food is served in our Pub. Minors are allowed in the Pub when accompanied by a parent or guardian, up until 10 pm.
The dining room is currently closed in 2023 due to staffing shortages. In the meantime, the Dining Room is available to rent for meetings or other private gatherings.
Cariboo Gold
From the Cariboo Mountains flow the creeks that spawned the famous 1860’s Cariboo Gold Rush, which made Barkerville the largest city north of San Francisco. Today you can visit the restored historic town of Barkerville, just minutes away from the Wells Hotel. Try your hand at panning for gold, visit Judge Begbie’s courthouse, and witness history come to life in dozens of living exhibits.
Then, go walking, mountain biking, snowmobiling, or cross-country skiing, directly from the front door of the Wells Hotel. Canoe the world famous 10-lake canoeing circuit in Bowron Lake Provincial Park. Visit Troll Ski Resort only 20 minutes away, or explore the quaint streets of the artistic village of Wells.
Your Home Base
The Wells Hotel is your home base for:
- Barkerville — BC’s Cariboo Gold Rush Town and western North America’s largest historical re-enactment village
- Bowron Lakes Provincial Park — a world-class canoeing destination and one of the top canoe circuits in the world
- Many miles of hiking, biking, and ATV/snowmobile trails
all in the peace and tranquility of a bygone era.
Things to See & Do
Our area is your four season gateway to fun and adventure. Here are some suggestions.
Summer Activities
Barkerville
Relive the magic of this 1870s historical gold rush town. Located five miles from Wells, Barkerville marks the end of the Gold Rush Trail. Stroll through 125 original and restored buildings with over 100 displays. Enjoy live theatre, street demonstrations and shows.
The Sunset Theatre in Wells
The 1934 Sunset Theatre has undergone a fabulous restoration, and is now operating a wide schedule of events, including high quality theatre. For more information on this wonderful new addition to Wells, see www.sunset-theatre.com. Hotel/theatre packages are being developed—please enquire!
Gold Panning
Pan for real gold in the Barkerville Gold Fields! Your adventure takes you panning for “wild gold” (NOT salted!) on gold claims near Wells. And you get to keep the gold you find! You can also visit an operating underground mine and inspect abandoned mining relics from the old days.
Bowron Lake Provincial Park & Canoe Circuit
Located 18 miles northeast of Wells, this world-renowned wildlife sanctuary offers spectacular scenery and wildlife viewing. Home to caribou, deer, moose and bear, this wilderness park offers miles of pristine waters and is set in the midst of glacial mountains. The chain of waterways forms a world-famous canoe circuit containing 75 miles of lakes, rivers, streams and portages.
Art Galleries, Museums and Gift Shops
Wander along the Wells footpath that begins at Pooley Street and visit unique galleries and gift shops, such as the Marie Nagel Gallery, the Amazing Space Studio & Gallery, the Singing Kettle, and the Island Mountain Arts Gallery. Enjoy an “Arts Retreat” by signing up for art instruction with Island Mountain Arts (IMA) in this historical wilderness setting. And don’t forget to explore the fascinating Wells Museum. Wells is the perfect place to purchase a unique gift!
Other Activities
Participate in various outdoor activities including mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, fishing, wildlife viewing and birdwatching. Or relax and enjoy a cappuccino on the Wells Hotel patio, surrounded by colourful flowers.
Winter Activities
Back-Country Snowmobiling
Snowmobile enthusiasts can take off right from the Wells Hotel and follow groomed trails that wind through the forest from Wells to Barkerville. From Barkerville, wilderness trails lead to the open alpine areas of Yanks Peak, where endless powder awaits!
Back-Country Skiing
Meadows or forests, gentle or challenging, beginner or expert—experience the dream of endless back-country skiing through the Cariboo Mountain wilderness.
Cross-Country Skiing
Scenic track-set trails start almost from the hotel door. Glide through peaceful forests or slip through the silent gold rush town of Barkerville.
Down Hill Skiing and Snowboarding
Skiing and boarding can be enjoyed at Troll Mountain, a great family hill 20 minutes from Wells—and the trip to the ski hill takes 20 minutes less from the Wells Hotel than it does from Quesnel!
Other Activities
Other winter activities include dog sledding, snowshoeing and winter walking.
For info on area attractions, events and activities visit www.wellsbc.com
Through the Years
When the Cariboo Gold Quartz mine opened early in 1933, Major E.J. Gook did a survey of the townsite of Wells. The first two lots, on the corner of Pooley Street and Sanders Avenue, were sold to entrepreneur Paddy Macdonell who commenced to build The Wells Hotel on the site.
The Wells Hotel is the largest and most imposing building on Pooley Street, and is the centerpiece of the main street. It is thought to have been the first building in the Cariboo to be constructed from plans drawn by qualified architects.
Wells' Grand Old Hotel
The English Tudor exterior appearance, with its three symmetrical false gables and half-timbered effect in the upper story, was achieved using dark brown slats and California stucco. Materials from all over Europe and California were used on the interior walls and floors. The three fireplaces are faced with gold-bearing rocks from three operating mines visible from the windows of the Hotel.
The Wells Hotel was completed in the fall of 1934, and a lavish opening party was held on November 13. For this special occasion, the electric power supply to the town was turned on for the first time! And, as the first beer parlour in Wells, the Pub was popular with mine workers, especially on paydays!
Getting Here
Wells is located 753 kilometres (471 miles) from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in the wilderness of the Cariboo Mountains.
Setting out by vehicle from Vancouver, take Highway #1 west to Hope and Cache Creek (or Highway #5, The Coquihalla). Then take Highway #97 north through Cariboo Country to Quesnel.
From Quesnel, take Highway #26 east to Wells and Barkerville. Entering Wells, turn left on Pooley Street to the sunshine yellow building of The Wells Hotel. (Note: All Highways from Vancouver to Wells are paved.)
The Wells Hotel
Phone: (250) 994-3427
Toll free: 1-800-860-2299
Fax: (250) 994-3494
Email: info@wellshotel.com
Location: 2341 Pooley Street, Wells, BC
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 39 Wells, BC V0K 2R0
Questions?
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