Grasslands and Rolling Hills of the Thompson-Nicola region are one of the scenic grasslands in British Columbia.
If you love rolling hills, green grasslands, historic ranches, cattle farms, shimmering lakes, and colourful wildflowers….This route is yours to follow….
We camped at Monck Lake Provincial park, situated along the Nicola Lake. We planned a backroad circle route from Quilchena to Douglas Lake via Pennask Lake Road. This circle route is approx 74 km, with majority of the drive on the dirt road.
Check out our Youtube video for a virtual experience of the Grasslands and Rolling Hills
How to get there
If you are coming from Merritt, take highway 5A North towards Kamloops. After driving for approx 24 km you will arrive at Quilchena, BC. Quilchena is located on the east shore of Nicola Lake.
The turn off for Pennask Lake Rd is one km north of Quilchena Ranch General Store. This is where we filled up the gas tank and started our journey through the grasslands.
Turn off for Pennask Rd 
The first few km of Pennask Lake Rd is paved, and then it turns into a dirt road. Overall, the road was in good shape for 4×4 or AWD vehicle. This stretch of road is very scenic.
We did not come across any vehicle while driving on this road.
Minnie Lake Ranch 
After driving on Pennask Lake Rd for approx 22 km, you will arrive at a fork, continue driving left on Douglas Creek Road if you intent on driving to Douglas Lake.
Drive on Douglas Creek for approx 15 km, and you will arrive in Douglas Lake.
Exploring the Grasslands
Flora in the Grasslands
Spectacular Landscape
Wildlife
Antique Buildings
Views of Douglas Lake
Douglas Ranch
Douglas Lake Ranch is Canada’s largest working cattle ranch. The Ranch gets its name from John Douglas Sr., who homesteaded his first 320 acres along the lake.
The Douglas Lake General Store is still housed in one of the original Ranch buildings, and is open to serve families living and working on the Ranch.
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THERE IS LOT TO EXPLORE. KEEP EXPLORING 
B Smith
Your post is very helpful. Thanks for sharing!
Inderjit Grewal
Amazing !!!!TRULY beautiful
I didn’t want those views to end
I was just floating through the clouds and suddenly saw COMMENT and back on the ground started typing
Heaven on earth 🌍
admin
Thank you so much for appreciating the post. We are glad that you enjoyed it so much 🙂