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Attention
Visitors - Important Notice!
As
of March 19, 2008:
- The Ealue Lake Road and Klappan Rail Grade are open to public access. During the spring of 2007, several areas were washed out which restricted access to Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. During the winter of 2007/8, the Ealue Lake Road and Klappan Rail Grade washouts were repaired. As construction continues and road repairs will be on-going, please expect some minor delays and travel with caution.
Park
Info:
Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park is one of Canada's largest
and most significant parks. True wilderness atmosphere, outstanding
scenery and varied terrain make this park an excellent place
for quality hiking, photography, and nature study. Lands within
the park have an excellent capability for supporting large
populations of wildlife.
Stikine River Provincial Park,
217,000 hectares in area, forms a corridor on both sides
of the Stikine River from its exit point on the northeast
border of Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park, westward along
the northern boundary of the park to the magnificent grandeur
of unparalleled scenic beauty. The principal activities
in the recreation area are canoeing and rafting on the
Stikine River.

Park
Size: 696,160
hectares
Special
Notes:
A
Letter of Permission is required for individuals or
groups who wish to use horses within Spatsizi Plateau
Wilderness Provincial Park. To obtain a Letter of Permission,
please contact the BC Parks Stikine Area Office at (250)
771-4591. If there is no answer, please leave a detailed
message stating your request for a letter of Permission,
your name, contact information and the date you wish
to visit the park. BC Parks will return the call as
soon as possible.
- Hunting
is permitted within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial
Park. Big game hunting is authorized under the Limited
Entry Hunting system. Please note that there is a no
shooting area within 1 km of Cold Fish Lake Camp.
- Important
Note: Hunting is not permitted within Gladys Lake Ecological
Reserve.
- Only
permitted air charter companies are authorized to fly
into Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park.
- Permitted
Air Charter Companies for Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness
Provincial Park:
- North
Pacific Seaplanes Float plane base located on
Tatogga Lake near Iskut, BC (250) 234-3525 or
call Tatogga Lake Resort at (250) 234-3526
- Alpine
Lakes Air Ltd. Float plane base located on Tyhee
Lake near Telkwa, BC (250) 846-9488
- Pacific
Western Helicopters Ltd. Dease Lake, BC (250)
771-5911
- Canadian
Helicopters Ltd. Smithers, BC (250) 847-9444
- Vancouver
Island Helicopters Ltd. Head Office, Sidney,
BC (250) 656-3987
Management
Planning:
Management
Planning Information
Location:
East of
the Village of Iskut, off Highway #37. Approximately 500 kilometres
north of Smithers.
Map/Brochure:
Any maps listed are for
information only - they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be
used for navigation.

Nature
& Culture:
- History - The
park was established on December 3, 1975. Named for
the region of the province that it occupies, Spatsizi
means "red goat" in the Tahltan First Nation
language. It was a name given to the mountain goats
of the area because of their habit of rolling in the
iron oxide-coloured dust, which changed their normally
white coats to red.
Historically,
Spatsizi was the hunting ground of the Tahltan First
Nation. It was seldom visited by outsiders prior to 1926,
when the Hyland brothers established a post on the Spatsizi
River to trade with native fur trappers. In 1948, Tommy Walker
set up permanent hunting and fishing camps at Hyland Post
and Coldfish Lake, hiring local Caribou Hide Indians as
guides. It was largely due to the efforts of Walker
that the park and Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve were created
in 1975.
- Conservation - This
park spreads across two broad physiographic regions,
the Spatsizi Plateau and the Skeena Mountains. The
plateau, a rolling upland, ranges in elevation from
1,600 to 2,000 meters, and extends in a broad curve
broken by wide "u" shaped valleys.The Eaglenest
Range of the Skeena Mountains dominates the northwest.
Its highest peak, Mt. Will (2,500 metres) towers above
Gladys Lake.
A
portion of the central part of the park just south
of Coldfish Lake has been designated as the Gladys
Lake Ecological Reserve. The reserve was created for
the study of stone sheep and mountain goats in an undisturbed
habitat. Persons wishing to view these animals may
hike the reserve.
- Wildlife - Lands
within the park have an excellent capability for supporting
large populations of wildlife. The light snow depths
in the rain shadow of the Eaglenest Range create one
of the most important habitats for woodland caribou in
British Columbia. The Spatsizi River Valley, with its
many flooded areas and oxbow ponds, provides aquatic
vegetation for summer forage as well as willow flats
for winter browse for moose. Grizzly and black bears,
wolverines, beaver, hoary marmot, and Arctic ground squirrels
are fairly abundant and more than 140 species of birds
including gyrfalcons, Smith's longspurs and American
Golden Plovers have been recorded within the park boundaries.
Visitor
Safety:
-
Proper gear, transportation arrangements and NTS maps
are prerequisites. There are no supplies of any kind
in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park or the Stikine River
Park. Suitable clothing should be worn and proper equipment
carried. Visitors should be in possession of appropriate
maps. Persons who wish to register their whereabouts
should do so with a responsible person or agency. This
information should include estimated departure and return
times.
Visitor
Safety Information (park
safety, hazards, wildlife safety information, health risks)

Reservations:For
parks that accept reservations,
all vehicle accessible campsites (with the exception of
group sites) must be reserved through Discover
Camping.
Explore
Parks: Fees, park listings, what
you should know before you go and other useful links.

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No
vehicle accessible camping facilities at this park.
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Wilderness,
backcountry or walk-in camping is allowed, but no
facilities are provided. There are several rustic
campsites scattered throughout the park. These sites
may or may not contain: a fire ring, a pit toilet,
tenting areas, food cache. Stikine/Spatsizi Rivers
Canoe Route: Tuaton Lake, Fountain Rapids, Chapea
Rapids, Beggerlay Canyon, Spatsizi River Access
Trail (two sites available: one located at trailhead,
other located at the end of the trail by river).
Eaglenest Creek Trail: Ram Creek, MacDonald Camp.
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No
group campsites.
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No
day-use or picnic facilities.
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There
are no wheelchair accessible facilities at this park.
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Lakes
and streams are sources of drinking water. Water should
be boiled before using.
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This
park only has pit toilets - no flush toilets. |
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No
showers.
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No
sani-station/dump facilities.
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Fires
should be used sparingly, as they are among the
most serious visual impacts in the backcountry.
Always carry a stove; use it for most if not all
of your cooking needs and only build a fire when
it is safe and will not cause further damage or
deplete wood supplies.
While
campfires are allowed and campfire rings are provided
at each campsite, we encourage visitors to conserve
wood and protect the environment by minimizing the
use of fire and using campstoves instead. Please
check for campfire bans and the Fire Danger Rating
for the area you are visiting before igniting a
fire in the backcountry. Limited burning hours or
campfire bans may be implemented. To preserve vegetation
and ground cover, please don't gather firewood from
the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the
park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park
Act). Dead wood is an important habitat element
for many plants and animals and it adds organic
matter to the soil. For more information on campfires
in the backcountry, click
here.
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There are no electrical hook-ups in this park |
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There
are no regularly scheduled interpretive programs at
this park.
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Old
horse trails and routes criss-cross the park. None of
them are regularly maintained and are recommended only
for experienced, physically fit and well equipped hikers.
For
your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey
posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting
trails destroys plant life and soil structure. Trail
Information
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This
park does not have a playground. |
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Swimming
is not recommended at this park. There are no lifeguards
on duty at provincial parks.
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There
are two popular river trips. The first follows the
Upper Stikine River from Tuaton or Laslui Lake (both
accessible by float plane) to the pullout at the
Highway #37 bridge. The second route is the Spatsizi
River from its confluence with Didene and Kluayetz
Creeks (accessed by portage from the BC Rail grade)
to the Stikine River and then down the Stikine to
the pullout at the Highway #37 bridge. More
canoeing information
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This
park does not have a boat launch.
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Angling
is a popular activity. Rainbow trout, lake trout, Dolly
Varden, Arctic grayling, mountain whitefish, burbot
and longnose sucker are the principal species. Although
fish are fairly abundant, anglers are requested to limit
their catch to immediate needs. Anglers must obey the
Freshwater Fishing Synopsis that applies to the area.
Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have
an appropriate
licence.
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Cycling
is not permitted.
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A
Letter of Permission is required for individuals
or groups who wish to use horses within Spatsizi
Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. To obtain a
Letter of Permission, please contact the BC Parks
Stikine Area Office at (250) 771-4591. If there
is no answer, please leave a detailed message stating
your request for a letter of Permission, your name,
contact information and the date you wish to visit
the park. BC Parks will return the call as soon
as possible.
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Pets/domestic
animals must be on a leash at all times and are
not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You
are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose
of their excrement.
Pets/domestic
animals must be on a leash at all times and are not
allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are
responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of
their excrement.Backcountry areas are not suitable
for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and
the potential for problems with bears. |
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Spatsizi
Plateau Wilderness Park is one of Canada's largest
and most significant parks. True wilderness atmosphere, outstanding
scenery and varied terrain make this park an excellent place
for quality hiking, photography, and nature study. Lands
within
the park have an excellent capability for supporting large
populations of wildlife. 
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No
winter recreation opportunities. |
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No
SCUBA diving or snorkelling opportunities. |
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No
windsurfing opportunities. |
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No
waterskiing opportunities. |
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Hunting is permitted within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness
Provincial Park. All hunting for big game is authorized
through Limited Entry Hunting. Please refer to current
BC Hunting Regulations for seasons and bag limits.
Note: There is no shooting allowed within 1 km of
Cold Fish Lake Camp. Note: Hunting is not
permitted within Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve.
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No
climbing or rock climbing opportunities. |
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No
spelunking or caving opportunities. |
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There are 6 cabins located at Cold Fish Lake Camp
within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park.
All cabins are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Fees for utilizing the cabins are: $20/night/person
or $35/night/family. All food must be stored in
the cookhouse in rodent-proof boxes. Absolutely
no food is permitted in cabins. Users are responsible
to clean cabins upon departure.
In addition, there is a cookhouse available for
public use at Cold Fish Lake Camp. The cookhouse
has running water, a propane stove, and rodent-proof
storage boxes available for public use. Users are
responsible to clean the cookhouse after use.
Please note: visitors must pack out what they pack
in. There are no garbage receptacles located at
Cold Fish Lake Camp.
Please note: there is no longer a sauna available
at Cold Fish Lake Camp.
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