Babine River Corridor Provincial Park

• This area is regularly used by Grizzly Bears

  BC Parks does not manage this site in a manner that guarantees public safety. We would like visitors to be aware that the chance of a dangerous bear encounter here is very high. Serious injury or death from a mauling is a possibility. We require visitors to follow park rules and become familiar with the bear safety information provided: Detailed information about bear safety [PDF 1.53MB]. Doing so may reduce your risk of a bear encounter. Park Rangers are not always on site to monitor visitor and bear behaviour or to protect visitors from dangerous situations.

  Please strictly adhere to these park rules:.

  1. Activity along the river is permitted only during the following times:

     August 1 to 15	07:00 to 20:30
     August 16 to 31	07:30 to 20:00
     September 1 to 15	08:00 to 19:00
     September 16 to 30	08:30 to 18:30

  2. When cleaning fish, be sure to dispose of all fish entrails in deep fast flowing water.
  3. Secure fish in your vehicle away from the river.
  4. Please store all food and packs in your vehicle.
  5. To ensure visitor safety please leave the river to a place of safety when a bear is on the river. You may return to angling when the bear is gone.
  6. All pets must be on a leash. Keep children and pets close at hand.
   

  People not following these rules will be evicted from the park. Thank you for your cooperation.

Babine River Corridor Park protects the heart of the Babine River watershed – a wild river, home to steelhead and salmon and to the bears who feed on them. The river originates in Babine Lake, the longest natural lake entirely within British Columbia. The river-based recreational opportunities offered by Babine River Corridor Park compliment the upland forest and alpine recreation opportunities in Babine Mountains Provincial Park.

Along with protecting significant wildlife habitat, Babine River Corridor Park provides outstanding wilderness river recreation opportunities. World-class angling opportunities for steelhead and sockeye salmon attract local and international visitors alike.

Established Date: June 29, 1999
Park Size: 15,359 hectares

Stay Safe

• Active logging roads surround the park. Exercise extreme caution on the roads and narrow bridges when driving and as a pedestrian.
• Large numbers of grizzly and black bears frequent the area and use the trails in the park; please take precautions to avoid a bear encounter.

Please note: Any maps listed are for information only; they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.

• Location Map

Babine River Corridor Park hugs the Babine River for 85 km as it flows from the bridge crossing, 2 km downstream of Nilkitkwa Lake, northwest to Kisgegas, a First Nations Reserve, 10 km from the confluence with the Skeena River. Access to the day-use area by road is approximately 130 km from Smithers. Follow Babine Lake Road east, then Nilkitkwa Forest Service Road north for 58 km. The nearest communities, towns and cities are Fort Babine, Smithers and Telkwa.

Any maps listed are for information only; they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.

• Park Map [PDF]

• History: In 1994, the Babine River Interim Local Resource Use Plan (LRUP) first proposed the Babine River as a “wilderness zone”, recognizing its important wildlife habitat and significant recreation opportunities. The Kispiox Land and Resource Management Plan in 1996 and the Bulkley Land and Resource Management Plan in 1998 both confirmed the LRUP zoning and recommended protection of the corridor in accordance with the Protected Areas Strategy. In 1999, the area was designated a Class A Provincial Park.
• Culture: Babine River Corridor Park is within the traditional territories of the Ned’u’ten and Gitxsan peoples. Both nations have used, and continue to use, the area for sustenance, spiritual and commercial activities. There are trails of First Nations origin along the river and there are culturally modified trees and various other cultural sites within the park. Kisgegas Reserve, a Gitxsan community near the northwest end of the park, is used as a training/rediscovery site. Here, there are totem poles and old village sites.
• Conservation: Babine River Corridor Park is located within the Southern Skeena Mountains and Babine Upland Ecosections. The park was established to protect the wilderness values of the river corridor for fish and the significant grizzly bear population that feeds on them.
• Wildlife: Babine River Corridor Park is home to an internationally significant wild steelhead population and a provincially significant sockeye salmon run, as well as populations of chinook, coho and pink salmon, dolly varden and rainbow and bull trout. The river is a critical seasonal feeding location for a provincially significant grizzly bear population, estimated at about 100 bears. There is also a high seasonal bald eagle population. The park contains habitat for many mammals including bat, black bear, wolf, coyote, otter, mink, wolverine, fisher, marten, beaver, muskrat and moose, and birds including geese, osprey, shorebirds and owls.

• Management Planning Information
• Approved Babine River Corridor Provincial Park Management Direction Statement [PDF 1.67MB]. Here is a backgrounder [PDF 348.33KB] on this Statement.

Canoeing

Fishing

Hiking

Hunting

Boat Launch

Campfires

Picnic Areas

Pit or Flush Toilets

Vehicle Accessible Camping

Walk-In/Wilderness Camping