A campfire ban is currently in effect for this park. For more information about campfire bans and about provincial parks with park closures and campfire bans in effect, visit the BC Parks campfire ban webpage.
Updated Nov 17, 2009
Airstrip
The airstrip at Cold Fish Lake camp is unmaintained and closed to use by wheeled aircraft. Please avoid all use of this airstrip except in emergency situations.
General Notices:
The Drinking Water Protection Act and Regulations prohibits the provision of drinking water to the public at Cold Fish Lake camp. Park visitors will be required to bring or obtain their own drinking water at this site until further notice. Shower facilities and propane for cooking will still be provided.
Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park has a volunteer Park Host program. If you are interested in applying for a Park Host position, Click here for further information
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
Tsayta Aviation Ltd Float plane base located at Telegraph Creek, BC 250-235-3701
General Visitor Information
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.
East of the Village of Iskut, off Highway #37. Approximately 500 kilometres north of Smithers.
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.
There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park.
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
Fishing
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.
Hiking
There are several hiking trails leading into the park from the BC Railgrade along the Klappan River, and in the vicinity of Cold Fish Lake Camp.
For your own safety and preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Please be advised that these are wilderness trails that are not frequently travelled or maintained by BC Parks staff. Trail conditions can be extremely challenging depending on weather and other factors.
Hiking in the backcountry areas of this park requires hikers to be well equipped, experienced in backcountry travel and in good physical condition.
Horseback Riding
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
Hunting is permitted within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park. Please note that the hunting of Moose, Caribou, Mountain Sheep, Mountain Goat and Grizzly Bear in the park is by Limited Entry Hunting Authorization only. In addition, No Hunting is permitted within Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve, and there is a no shooting area within 1 km of Coldfish Lake camp.
Links to the BC
Hunting Regulation synopsis and Limited Entry Hunting synopsis are available on the BC Parks Fishing and Hunting page.
Pets on Leash
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.
Wildlife Viewing
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.
Facilities Available At This Park
Cabins / Huts / Yurts
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.
Campfires
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.
Drinking Water
Lakes and streams are sources of drinking water. Water should be boiled before using.
Pit or Flush Toilets
This park only has pit toilets - no flush toilets.
Walk-In/Wilderness Camping
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.
