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Tweedsmuir Park
"...but I have seen nothing more
beautiful and more wonderful than the great park which British
Columbia has done me the honour to call by my name." - Baron
Tweedsmuir of Elsfield
Welcome to Tweedsmuir Park (981,000 hectares) - Actually
made up of two parks, North Tweedsmuir Park is 446,092 hectares,
pristine wilderness with very limited access. Ministry of
Environment warns that those who are not prepared to be completely
self-sufficient or who do not wish to employ a professional
guide should not contemplate a visit. North Tweedsmuir is
only accessible by floatplane or hiking from the Chilcotin
side. If you would like more information from Parks you'll
find it here at North
Tweedsmuir Park.
South Tweedsmuir Park, which forms the north western boundary
of the West Chilcotin, is 506,000 hectares and Highway 20
goes right through the middle of it. However, that's pretty
much the extent of 'easy' park access. The rest of the park
is pure wilderness and a summer and winter playground for
outdoor enthusiasts.
The Turner Lake chain is a favorite with canoeists, while
Lonesome Lake was made famous by Ralph Edwards who brought
the Trumpeter Swan back from the edge of extinction. There
is a trail called the Tote Road at the foot of the Hill that
goes to famous Hunlen Falls (third highest free falling waterfall
in Canada) and then on to the lakes. Four wheel drive access
only for a short distance. From there you must walk in. For
a detailed map go to Hunlen
Falls - Turner Lake Chain.
Tweedsmuir Park has numerous hiking trails ranging from day
hike trails such as Kettle Pond and Burnt Bridge taking only
an hour or two to complete, to the Alexander Mackenzie Heritage
Trail that can take very experienced hikers a month to complete.
You can find extensive information and links to brochures
for these trails on this Tweedsmuir
Park page while you'll find a very good map of most of
these trails on what's called the Rainbow
Range Map.
The remarkable colors of the Rainbow Range in Tweedsmuir
Park are caused by specific minerals involved in the volcanic
formation of the range. This wild, rolling alpine is a favorite
of hikers but is even better seen from the back of a horse.
There are outfitters based near Anahim Lake that would be
happy to take you on an adventure pack trip through the range.
It is also a favorite of snowmobilers in winter as well as
skiers and cross country skiers. You'll find a general
information brochure and a map
on the South
Tweedsmuir Page and detailed information on snowmobiling
and skiing in the park halfway down this page.
Tweedsmuir Park is probably best known for its angling and
famous for its Coho, Sockey, Chum, Pink and Chinook Salmon
fishing. The Atnarko and Bella Coola Rivers are popular BC
destinations during the salmon runs and you can also fish
for char and trout in these two rivers. Surrounding lakes
are loaded with Dolly Varden, cutthroat trout, and rainbow
trout and of course the Dean River is world renowned for its
fly fishing. There are strict regulations governing fishing
in BC, particularly for Salmon so make sure to consult the
fishing
regulations to find out about appropriate licenses.
Tweedsmuir Park has two vehicle access campsites, both at
the foot of the "Hill" on Highway 20 and located
on the Atnarko River. While there are basic amenities such
as water, fire pits and toilets, there are no hookups. Along
most of the trails there are primitive campsites and bear
caches dotted throughout the Park. Check the Rainbow
Range map and Hunlen
Falls/Turner Lake Chain map for exact locations.
Tweedsmuir Park is well known for its abundant wildlife including
black bears, grizzly bears, moose, caribou, mountain goat,
deer, wolves, coyotes, cougar and numerous small mammals including
wolverine and marmot. You are encouraged to exercise caution
in all areas of the park as it has one of the largest concentrations
of grizzly and black bear in the world. Prime viewing of these
animals is during the summer and fall salmon runs when the
bears venture from higher elevations to feed on the fish.
It isn't uncommon to see a grizzly bear or two sitting on
rocks in the middle of the river, periodically sliding off
of their perch to splash through the water after a salmon.
Operators - Tweedsmuir Park
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