British Columbia - Your Wilderness Paradise
How to Explore Supernatural BC’s Wilderness
BC Wilderness Parks are spread out across the entire province with great regularity so that there is always an ideal site near where you want to be. Getting away from Society and its hustle and bustle is fairly easy in B.C. with its more than 644 provincial parks and designated Recreation Areas, 156 conservancies, 84 protected areas, and over 140 ecological reserves to visit.
Four of these provincial parks are even designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 24 areas are designated as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.
There are 1000’s of Things to Do and places to help you to get away from people and their challenges while exploring “Beautiful British Columbia” or “Super, Natural, British Columbia”. We can all share the great wilderness environments here in BC and if we are very lucky, amazing wildlife will reveal itself to us on our treks. This is where caution is imperative.
Getting Lost to Find Yourself
Which Path is Right For You?
Education is Key to Safe Travels in BC’s Wilderness
Willd animals are very unpredictable and can be potentially harmful. They are not to be approached as their fight or flight response is not something you want to see or be involved with. We all lose when encounters go wrong. Knowing the area you are in, and having Basic Knowledge and preparation can make all the difference when experiencing nature up close.
When in the Backcountry, staying safe and protecting the wilderness are paramount, travel with three goals in mind: limit your impact by being prepared, avoid close encounters, and manage your food, food smells, human waste, and all garbage.
BC Park’s website talks about staying safe in bear country and provides many guidelines to help people explore and have the comfort of knowing that their Deterrent Products are industry-leading products and proven effective. Visit their website “How you can Stay Safe in Bear Country” today to help learn what to do to avoid a chance meeting.
Where to Go?
Provincial Parks of the Cariboo Gold Rush Trail
A large wilderness area located on the western slopes of the Cariboo Mountain Range, the Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit encompasses 116 km for a wilderness canoe trip that takes 6-10 to finish, or the west side can offer a shorter, 2-4 day timeline. Campers are welcome, as are hikers, anglers, and bikers. The area is also popular in the winter for ice skating, ice fishing and other activities.
One of the most popular recreation lakes along Highway 97, set amongst a Douglas-fir forest, with a pleasant campground for longer stays. An excellent place to fish, boat, and water ski, or explore hiking trails, swim, and bike while you are here. Visit the 108 Mile Heritage House just 30 minutes down the road from May to September while you are in the area, or stop in the community of Lac La Hache for amenities and additional activities.
Marble Range Park is named for its unusual limestone topography, with mountains featuring caves, sinkholes and disappearing streams, cliffs, chasms, and crenellated ridges. Home to populations of California bighorn sheep and mule deer, the park is popular for hiking, hunting, and horseback riding.
Marble Range Park is named for its unusual limestone topography, with mountains featuring caves, sinkholes and disappearing streams, cliffs, chasms, and crenellated ridges. Home to populations of California bighorn sheep and mule deer, the park is popular for hiking, hunting, and horseback riding.
Bowron Lake Provincial Park
Lac La Hache Provincial Park
Marble Range Provincial Park
Becher’s Prairie Provincial Park
Cariboo Nature Provincial Park
Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park
Cedar Point Class C Provincial Park
Cottonwood River Provincial Park
Dante’s Inferno Provincial Park
Dragon Mountain Provincial Park
Eleven Sisters Provincial Park
Where Do You Find Peace?
Where Else to Go?
Provincial Parks of the Land of Hidden Waters
Canim Beach Provincial Park
As one of the larger lakes in the Cariboo, Canim Lake is popular for fishing, paddling, swimming, picnicking and water skiing. The area surrounding Canim Beach Provincial Park includes Canim Falls at the east end of the lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park, and picturesque views of the mountains.
Green Lake Provincial Park
Green Lake is one of the larger bodies of water in the southern Cariboo at 14 km long with a shoreline of approximately 57 km. The greenish hue is derived from the low flushing rate combined with the chemical composition of the warm shallow waters. The park is made up of 11 sites and features a typical Cariboo landscape of open rangeland and mixed forests of aspen and lodgepole pine, making the park popular for hiking, horseback riding and exploring by water.
Bridge Lake Provincial Park
Bridge Lake Provincial Park is located about 50km east of 100 Mile House. It offers camping at a small campground on the south end the lake near the community of Bridge Lake, numerous hiking trails, wildlife viewing and horseback riding trails, as well as canoeing, swimming, and boating. The park is a habitat for bear, fox, coyote, mule deer, mink and river otter, while the lake offers fishing for rainbow trout, kokanee, lake char and burbot.
Rainbow/Q’iwentem Provincial Park
Schoolhouse Lake Provincial Park
Provincial Parks of the Chilcotin
South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park
A visually spectacular area with incredible topography, featuring mid elevation grasslands, sub alpine and alpine meadows, alpine lakes and mountains. The park encompasses several large intact watersheds and headwaters and offers broad valleys and ridges with interconnecting trail systems. Hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers can explore over 200 km of trails of varying difficulty with a range of looping routes for an enjoyable wilderness experience.
Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park
Located in the West Chilcotin Uplands, Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park offers a diverse landscape containing volcanic landforms, alpine, and forest sites scattered with wetlands. It is home to the largest herd of woodland caribou in southern BC and features a high diversity of plant and animal species set in the rain shadow of the coast mountains. The isolated shield volcanoes of the Itcha Range and Ilgachuz Range rise up to 2400 metres above sea level in the park, and the area is popular for hiking, fishing, biking, horseback riding, and winter activities. Image Credit: BC Parks
Ts’ilʔos Provincial Park
Ts’ilʔos (pronounced “sigh-loss”) Provincial Park features rugged mountains, clear lakes, glaciers, alpine meadows, and waterfalls, surrounded by the rugged Coast Mountains to the west, and the arid Interior Plateau to the east for a diverse and contrasting landscape. Dominated by the largest, natural high-elevation freshwater lake in Canada, Chilko Lake, water activities are a favourite activity, as well as backcountry hiking and camping. Note that areas of the park can be close due to increased bear activity, check the BC Parks website to confirm before travelling.
French Bar Creek Provincial Park
Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park
Patterson Lake Provincial Park
Seton Portage Historic Provincial Park
Provincial Parks of the Great Bear Rainforest
Hakai Lúxvbálís Conservancy
The Hakai Lúxvbálís Conservancy is managed under an agreement between the Heiltsuk Nation and the Province of BC. Encompassing more than 120,000 hectares of land and sea, it is is the largest provincial marine protected area on the British Columbia coast, with no developed facilities. The Conservancy can only be accessed by sea or air, Hakai boasts natural beauty including lagoons, tidal rapids, tombolos, white-sand beaches and an array of large and small islands for exploration.
Sir Alexander Mackenzie Provincial Marine Park
A small coastal park on Dean Channel near Elcho Harbour , featuring where Alexander Mackenzie during his explorations wrote on a rock: “Alex Mackenzie from Canada by land 22nd July 1793.” Today the rock still bears his words. The park is often an end point for backcountry hikers exploring the Nuxalk-Carrier Grease/Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail. The last portion of the park is accessible only by boat during good weather as sheltered anchorage is limited.
Tweedsmuir Provincial Park (South)
One of BC’s largest parks, featuring some of the most spectacular scenery in the continent, Tweedsmuir attracts anglers, campers, hikers, and explorers by horseback or canoe (the Turner Lake Chain is a popular route) and winter recreation, while the park’s shield volcanoes and Hunlen Falls are not to be missed. The area is a critical bear habitat so visitors should be prepared for potential encounters and be bear aware.
Codville Lagoon Marine Provincial Park
Green Inlet Marine Provincial Park
Jackson Narrows Marine Provincial Park
Oliver Cove Marine Provincial Park
Penrose Island Marine Provincial Park
Tweedsmuir Provincial Park – North
Remote Parks
Kitlope Heritage Conservancy
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park
visiting Tweedsmuir, my definition of “remote” has expanded. It isn’t just about finding nature; it’s about finding space. Space to see—taking the time to gaze at the glassy water of the lake, or the countless shades of green in the trees. Space to hear—listening to the crackle of the campfire instead of my own voice. Space to grow—finding the courage to try something new. It’s about inner space—space to get away from the city, clear your mind, and be.
Where Do You Find Peace?
Product Categories
Confrontational Deterrents
Bear/Predator spray is a non-lethal weapon, essential when traveling in the backcountry. Its effect wears off in 30-45 minutes and has no known permanent effect on animals or humans.
During discharge, a very wide shotgun pattern can be noticed, so it is not necessary for much training or practice to be accurate and effective. Use short blasts as necessary. Bear Spray is prohibited on passenger planes and is classified as a restricted weapon.
Non-Confrontational
Non-Confrontational Bear/Predator Deterrent products are primarily used to alert potential predators of humans in the area. These include noisemakers such as Bells, Whistles, Air Horns, and include Pyrotechnics such as Bear Bangers/Crackers and Pen Launchers.
Accessories
Holsters, Waterproof Tote and Deluxe Pouch for your Pyrotechnics.