This remarkable 80.5-acre off-grid property offers the ultimate self-sufficient lifestyle without sacrificing modern comfort. A cozy 2,200 sq. ft. log home with a brand new solar power system, pure spring water & Starlink Internet. 40 acres of alfalfa fields, a horse barn, guest cabins & 30 head of cattle.
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This exceptional 80.5-acre off-grid property is thoughtfully designed for self-sufficient living, offering a rare combination of modern comfort and rural productivity. The heart of the property is a charming 2,200 sq. ft. two-storey log home with loft, featuring a south-facing orientation with large windows that flood the main living area with natural light. The peaked ceiling creates a sense of openness, while the spacious kitchen offers ample cabinetry and counter space. The main floor includes two bedrooms, laundry, storage, and a newly remodelled bathroom. A versatile upper loft serves perfectly as a den, library, or additional sleeping space. Off the main level, a generous 20' x 30' covered deck overlooks the property, with a carport situated below.
The home is wood-heated, with firewood typically harvested directly from timber on the property. Power is provided by a 6 kW solar system inverter featuring lithium batteries, solar panels, and a charge controller, backed up by a 7.5 kW diesel generator. There are 3.6 kilowatts of solar panel output. The system outputs both 220 AC and 110 AC power, is remotely monitored via a dedicated web-based control panel and app, and is housed in the detached shop. Trees have been selectively removed to maximize solar panel exposure. High-efficiency lighting is used throughout the property. Connectivity is handled by Starlink high-speed Internet, providing excellent Wi-Fi coverage across the entire property for calling and all online services.
Water is sourced from a pure underground spring and delivered to a 300-gallon inground cistern with constant circulation flow, ensuring fresh, clean water at all times. A pressurized interior pump and pressure tank system services the home, with on-demand hot water throughout. All interior waterlines were replaced when the system was installed. The shower house is similarly equipped with its own pressurized, on-demand hot water system. The property also holds a water licence for both domestic use and livestock watering, with two creeks running through the land.
Forty acres of the property are dedicated to hay production, featuring silty soil well-suited to alfalfa growth, with the field reseeded in 2020 and producing approximately 350 round bales per year. The land is fully fenced and cross-fenced with corrals and sorting pens. A 40' x 50' horse barn includes a tack room, farrier stall, 14-head tie stalls, and a hay loft. A large 60' x 80' cold storage pole barn features eight livestock stalls, a chicken coop with capacity for over 40 birds, and full wiring. The property currently supports 30 head of grazing cattle, with room to expand in cooperation with a neighbouring property. A greenhouse with an automated irrigation system supports additional food production, and a small chicken flock of approximately 35 birds provides eggs sold to a local country store.
Additional structures include a wired workshop with a wood stove and cement floor, a generator building, and two well-placed wood sheds serving the house and cabins. Four beautifully constructed log guest cabins are set on a spacious grassy area complete with a central campfire ring—an ideal gathering space. The cabins sleep between 3 and 10 people depending on size and are heated by either wood stove or propane, with various cooking options available. These cabins have generated meaningful rental income, having hosted commercial mineral exploration contractors for up to three months per year, as well as hunters and equestrian visitors.
5620 Blackwater-Spruce Road - Quesnel, BC
Contact the listing agent.
Quesnel serves as the commercial hub of the North Cariboo, supporting a regional population of over 23,000 people. Strategically positioned along British Columbia's main north-south highway corridor with rail connectivity and a regional airport, the city provides producers and businesses with practical access to larger markets within a one-day drive or one-hour flight. The local economy is diversified, with mining, forestry, ranching, agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism all playing meaningful roles in the region's overall economic health.
The North Cariboo is widely regarded as some of British Columbia's finest ranching and farming country. Cattle production is the agricultural backbone of the region, complemented by hay and forage farming, horse breeding, and small-scale mixed agriculture. The interior's river valley terrain and silty soils are particularly well suited to alfalfa and hay production, making quality forage a reliable and marketable commodity. Extensive Crown land in the region also provides valuable grazing range, allowing cattle operations to scale efficiently and cost-effectively.
Beef production remains a strong and supported industry in British Columbia, with the Cariboo consistently ranking among the province's top beef-producing regions. Provincial government programs actively support ranchers through loan guarantees and industry development initiatives, reflecting the long-term strategic importance of the cattle sector to the regional and provincial economy. Demand for quality beef remains robust, and producers in the North Cariboo are well positioned to benefit from strong North American cattle markets.
Agriculture is recognized as a key economic driver in the region, with ongoing investment from local economic development organizations to promote North Cariboo-grown products and support farm-based businesses. The region produces a wide range of agricultural goods—from livestock and specialty meats to dairy, produce, honey, and natural fibres—reflecting both the productivity of the land and the entrepreneurial spirit of its farming community. For buyers seeking a property with real agricultural income potential, the North Cariboo represents one of British Columbia's most compelling rural investment opportunities.
The North Cariboo is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise, offering a remarkable range of year-round recreational activities set against one of British Columbia's most dramatic and unspoiled natural landscapes. Often referred to as Canada's "Big Sky Country," the region is defined by vast open skies, ancient forests, pristine river systems, and hundreds of lakes—a setting that draws hunters, anglers, hikers, riders, and wilderness seekers from across the country and beyond.
Fishing is arguably the region's most celebrated recreational pursuit. The Fraser and Quesnel Rivers offer world-class angling for rainbow trout, bull trout, spring salmon, and sockeye salmon, with the annual sockeye migration drawing enormous numbers of fish—and the bald eagles that follow them—through the region each August. Nearby Dragon Lake, just minutes from Quesnel, is well known for producing trophy-sized rainbow trout. The Blackwater River, the Euchiniko River chain, and dozens of backcountry lakes scattered throughout the region round out an angling experience that rivals anywhere in the province.
Hunting in the North Cariboo is exceptional, with the region's vast Crown land and diverse terrain providing habitat for moose, deer, black bear, grizzly bear, and a variety of upland birds. The area attracts hunters from across North America each fall, drawn by healthy wildlife populations and the kind of genuine wilderness access that is increasingly rare. This hunting culture directly supports the rural economy, with outfitters, guides, and cabin rentals all benefiting from the steady seasonal demand.
Beyond fishing and hunting, the region offers a full spectrum of outdoor adventure. Hikers and mountain bikers enjoy an expanding network of trails, including Pinnacles Provincial Park with its striking hoodoo formations, and the Riverfront Trail system along the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers. The legendary Bowron Lake canoe circuit, one of Canada's premier backcountry paddling routes, is located just east of Quesnel near the historic town of Barkerville. Winter transforms the landscape into a playground for snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, and ice anglers, while Troll Ski Resort provides downhill skiing just 44 kilometres from the city. Whether your passion is solitude in the backcountry or active adventure close to town, the North Cariboo delivers it in abundance.
The story of Quesnel and the North Cariboo is one of the most compelling chapters in British Columbia's history, rooted in the drama of the great Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s. It was the discovery of gold on the Fraser River in 1857 that first drew waves of prospectors northward into the BC interior, but it was the major strikes on Williams Creek in 1861 that ignited the full fury of the Cariboo rush. Word spread quickly, and thousands of fortune seekers from across North America, Britain, and beyond flooded into the region in search of riches. At the epicentre of it all was Barkerville, named after English seaman Billy Barker whose claim on Williams Creek proved to be one of the richest gold deposits ever found. At its peak, Barkerville was said to be the largest city west of Chicago and north of San Francisco—a bustling frontier town that sprang from the wilderness almost overnight.
Quesnel—then known as Quesnelmouth—emerged as the vital gateway and supply hub to the goldfields. Positioned at the confluence of the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers, it was the last major stopover point on the Cariboo Wagon Road before the journey east into the mountains toward Barkerville. The colonial government, recognizing the need for reliable infrastructure, commissioned the construction of the Cariboo Wagon Road beginning in 1861—a remarkable feat of engineering that carved a 650 km route from Yale in the Fraser Canyon all the way north to the goldfields. The road transformed Quesnel into a thriving commercial centre, with merchants, outfitters, roadhouses, and settlers establishing roots as the steady flow of miners and supplies passed through. A formal town survey was completed in 1863, and Quesnel's role as a regional supply centre was firmly cemented.
While many prospectors eventually moved on—chasing new strikes further north into the Omineca and Cassiar—a significant portion of those who came for gold stayed for the land. The fertile river valleys, open grasslands, and abundant timber of the North Cariboo proved irresistible to settlers with an eye for ranching and farming. Communities took root along the Wagon Road, and the foundations of the agricultural economy that defines the region today were laid by these early homesteaders. Ranching families staked out land along the river benches and valley floors, establishing operations that in many cases have been passed down through generations.
Quesnel's importance never faded after the gold rush. The arrival of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in 1921 further opened the region to commerce and settlement, and a second gold rush centred on the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine in nearby Wells brought renewed prosperity through the 1930s and 1940s. Today, the spirit of those early pioneers lives on across the North Cariboo, in its working ranches, its frontier architecture, and in the remarkably preserved heritage site of Barkerville—a National Historic Site that stands as a testament to the bold and restless era that shaped this corner of British Columbia.
53°13'11.24"N and 123° 9'48.48"W
4 log guest cabins sleeping 3-10 people.
Multiple revenue streams from same infrastructure:
6 kW solar system inverter (lithium batteries, panels, charge controller/inverter) with 7.5 kW diesel generator backup. 220AC and 110AC output, monitored via web-based control panel and app. 3.6 kilowatts of solar panel output.
Pressurized pure spring water system fed from a 300-gallon inground cistern with constant circulation flow. Interior pressure pump and pressure tank. All waterlines replaced in fall 2024.
On-demand hot water heater in the main house. Separate pressurized on-demand hot water system in the shower house.
Starlink high-speed Internet with excellent Wi-Fi range across the property.
Wood heat in main home, with firewood harvested on-site. Cabins heated by wood stove or propane.
Full washroom facilities with pressurized water, on-demand hot water, and plumbing roughed in for washing machine.
High-efficiency lighting throughout.
Dedicated structure housing the backup diesel generator.
Automated irrigation system.
Pole barn and workshop fully wired. Chicken coop wired for lighting and water heaters.
2 wood sheds strategically located near house and cabins.
$2,000.95 (2026)
R/A (Resource/Agricultural)
BLOCK B, DISTRICT LOT 7972, CARIBOO LAND DISTRICT
PID 004-381-289
Multiple Listing Service®
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Our property descriptions and geographical information are taken from the BC Assessment Authority, Land Titles Office, government maps and other sources. While LandQuest® does not guarantee the information, we believe it to be accurate, but should not be relied upon without verification. This communication is not intended to cause or induce breach of an existing agency agreement.
Punchaw
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