Likely is situated at the mouth of 100 km long Quesnel Lake. The lake lays claim to being the deepest fjord lake in the world, and the area surrounding it is a part of the only inland temperate rainforest in the world, giving it a unique climate.
Likely is a small rural community in the Cariboo Region, nestled in the foothills of the Cariboo Mountains. This area played a significant role in the Cariboo Gold Rush of 1859 when rough-edged boom towns like Quesnel Forks, Cedar City, and Keithley Creek had overnight populations in the thousands, predating Barkerville.