Wells Gray Provincial Park
| Wells Gray Provincial Park | |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
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| Nearest city | Clearwater |
| Coordinates | 52°19′26″N 120°08′59″W / 52.32389°N 120.14972°WCoordinates: 52°19′26″N 120°08′59″W / 52.32389°N 120.14972°W |
| Area | 5,000 km² |
| Established | 1939 |
| Governing body | BC Parks |
Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in British Columbia’s central Cariboo North Thompson regions.[1] The park, which comprises most of the Cariboo Mountains, covers over 5,000 square kilometres and is home to some 219 bird species and more than 50 mammal species. Other than its alpine regions, the park is densely forested with conifers and dotted by alpine meadows.
The southern, and most accessible, part of the park contains numerous small volcanoes and extensive lava flows of the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field. It was then heavily glaciated during the last ice age. Those forces combined to create rugged canyon-valleys cut by impressive waterfalls. On its western flank are the large freshwater fjords of the eastern Cariboo Plateau, the largest being Quesnel Lake. The park's northeastern flank is the main spine of the Cariboo Mountains and is the source of several of the larger upper tributaries of the Fraser River entering it in the Robson Valley. On its northwest of the park, Bowron Lake Provincial Park occupies the remainder of the Cariboo Mountains.
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[edit] History
Prior to the arrival of white people, the Wells Gray area was a valued hunting ground to both the Shuswap and Chilcotin aboriginal groups.[citation needed] This resulted in ongoing conflicts over access to caribou herds and geographic names like “Battle Mountain”, “Fight Lake” and “Battle Creek”.[citation needed]
A disastrous crossing of the Cariboo Mountains via what is now Wells Gray was attempted by a portion of the Overlander Party during the Cariboo Gold Rush in the 1860s. Surveyors for the Canadian Pacific Railway visited during the 1870s in search of a rail route to the Pacific Ocean.
Following decades of homesteading, Wells Gray Park was created in 1939 and named for the provincial Minister of Lands, Hon. Arthur Wellesley Gray, known familiarly as Wells Gray.
[edit] Attractions
The park is popular year-round with skiers and hikers. Its extensive river and lake system also makes it an ideal paddling destination. With 100 km of coastline, Wells Gray’s Murtle Lake is the largest paddle-only (motor free) lake in North America. The park also borders the shores of Canim Lake.
Helmcken Falls is the park’s main tourist draw. It was one of the major causes for the development of Wells Gray Provincial Park. As a result, if it had not been for the volcanic eruptions within the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, it is not likely that such a large wilderness region would have been made. The falls are Canada’s fourth highest with a vertical drop of 141 metres. In the winter the falls freeze into a giant ice cone. Known as “the Bookmark”, the ice cone stands taller than a twenty-storey building. Also popular with visitors is Spahats Falls.
Entry points to Wells Gray Provincial Park are via the towns of Clearwater, Blue River and 100 Mile House.
 Clearwater Lake |
 Dawson Falls on the Murtle River |
 A view from Green Mountain |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Goward, Trevor; Hickson, Cathie (1995). Nature Wells Gray: Volcanoes, Waterfalls, Wildlife, Trails & More. Lone Pine Publishing. ISBN 1-55105-065-X.
- Mathews, Bill; Monger, Jim (2005). Roadside Geology of Southern British Columbia. Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87842-503-9.
- Neave, Roland (2004). Exploring Wells Gray Park (5th ed.). Kamloops: Wells Gray Tours Ltd. ISBN 0-9681932-1-8
- Zuehlke, Mark (1995). The B.C. Fact Book. Vancouver/Toronto: Whitecap Books. ISBN 1-55110-277-3
[edit] External links
- BC Parks - Official Park Site
- Wells Gray Park.com
- Wells Gray Provincial Park on Google Maps
