Merritt likes to call itself the country music capital of Canada, and for years it hosted a big country music festival; the town is decorated with murals of country stars, and a walk of stars on the main street honours musicians who have played here. It is that kind of place: a ranching town in the Nicola Valley, in the dry interior of British Columbia, surrounded by grasslands, pine forests and low, rolling hills.
The Nicola Valley is cattle country, and it is home to one of the largest working cattle ranches in Canada, the Douglas Lake Ranch, east of town. The landscape is open and golden in summer, with bunchgrass, sagebrush and scattered ponderosa pines, and the lakes in the valley are popular for fishing. In November 2021, the Coldwater River burst its banks after torrential rain, flooding much of the town and forcing the evacuation of its entire population, an event that is still fresh in local memory.
For riders, Merritt's position is what matters. It sits at a crossroads of highways: the Coquihalla, a fast mountain freeway running south to Hope and north to Kamloops; Highway 97C, the Okanagan Connector, east to Kelowna; Highway 5A, a quieter, more scenic route south to Princeton and north to Kamloops; and Highway 8, which follows the Nicola River west to Spences Bridge. Highway 5A and Highway 8 are particularly pleasant, with gentle curves, little traffic and fine views of the valley.
Merritt has fuel, supermarkets, fast food and motels, and it is the main service town between the coast and the Okanagan, so it is where most people refuel themselves and their bikes. The Coquihalla and the Okanagan Connector climb to high elevations and can have snow and ice from autumn to spring, so check conditions before setting out. Summers are hot and dry, with occasional wildfire smoke.