Quesnel is located along the gold mining trail known as the Cariboo Wagon Road and was the historical commercial centre of the Cariboo Gold Rush.
The city boasts an interpretive riverfront trail, which skirts the Fraser and Quesnel rivers and hosted the 2000 British Columbia Winter Games. Many local attractions including The Quesnel Museum, The Riverfront Trail, Cottonwood Historic Park; a historic parkside road house for travelers en route to the gold fields, Barkerville; the legendary Gold Rush town, The Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Race and Pinnacles Provincial Park.
Quesnel hosted the 2000 British Columbia Winter Games, an annual provincial amateur sports competition.