Skeena East. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
Bears
Babine River Corridor Park is home to a large population of grizzly and black bears. There is a high chance of potentially dangerous bear encounters during any visit to this park. If you visit this area, you do so at your own risk.
Areas on the river corridor where grizzlies are most common include:
- The fish-counting fence near the south park entrance
- Grizzly Drop at the river’s lower end
Wherever you are in the park, the chance of a dangerous bear encounter is high. If not handled correctly, a bear encounter can result in serious injury, or death. We require visitors to:
- Review the information about bears on the wildlife safety page
- Visit the WildSafe BC website
- Read the how you can stay safe in bear country [PDF] booklet
- Follow all park rules, especially those outlined in bear safety rules, below
- Take precautions to avoid encounters and act appropriately if they occur
Bear safety rules
Rangers stationed at the south entrance are responsible for implementing park rules. Obey all park rules, and please pay particular attention to the following:
- Food and packs must be secured in your vehicle at the parking lot. Never store food and packs on the shore.
- When you catch a fish, immediately clean it, and return it to a secure part of your vehicle. Storing fish on shore or in the river is not allowed.
- Take extra care when cleaning fish. Dispose of fish entrails in deep, fast-flowing water.
- When a bear is seen at the river, you must retreat to a safe place. Do not return to the river until you are sure the bear has left.
- Pets must be leashed throughout your stay at the park. Ensure that your children and pets are always close by.
For the safety of all visitors, anyone not following these rules will be evicted from the park. Thank you for your cooperation.
We are committed to doing everything we can to prevent dangerous wildlife encounters. But we need your help. Rangers cannot always monitor bear behaviour or protect visitors in dangerous situations. To help us keep everybody safe, report any incident involving a bear to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
For more information on staying safe around bears and other wildlife:
- See our wildlife safety page
- Visit the WildSafe BC website
- Read the how you can stay safe in bear country [PDF] booklet
Logging
Babine River Corridor Park is surrounded by active logging roads. Please use extreme caution when driving or walking on these roads, especially when crossing narrow bridges.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Any maps listed are for information only. They may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.
Getting there
The boundaries of Babine River Corridor Park follow the Babine River for 85 km. The park entrance and day-use area are at the park’s southeast end. This is where the Nilkitkwa Forest Service Road bridge crosses the Babine River.
From here, the park follows the Babine River as it flows northwest. The park ends near Kisgegas First Nation Reserve, 10 km from the Babine’s confluence with the Skeena River.
The park entrance is about 115 km from Smithers by road. Follow Babine Lake Road for 50 km, then the Nilkitkwa Forest Service Road north for 58 km. The nearest communities are Fort Babine, Smithers, and Telkwa.
Things to do
Babine River Corridor Park does not offer extensive hiking opportunities. There are short walking trails that follow the river for approximately 150 m, with trailheads at the day-use area.
For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey all signs and keep to designated trails. Taking shortcuts destroys plant life and soil structure. Bears use the trails, so potentially dangerous bear encounters are common.
For information about staying safe on the trails in this park, see the know before you go section.
The Babine River provides world-renowned whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities. Trips typically start at the boat launch near the park entrance and end at the Babine-Skeena confluence, Kispiox, or Hazelton.
The Babine is a notoriously wild river with many kilometres of Class 3 and 4 rapids that can be highly dangerous. Do not underestimate the challenges of kayaking in this park.
Guided trips are available through permitted rafting companies. Private trips are also allowed, and you do not need a permit. However, we ask all visitors to follow the kayaking and rafting guidelines outlined below.
Please review the advice below before considering a kayak or raft trip on the Babine River.
Kayaking and rafting guidelines
Outdoor ethics
Please take extra care to follow Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. As this is a user-maintained park, it is particularly important to pack out everything you pack in. Do not bury or burn garbage.
For more information on outdoor ethics, see our backcountry guide or visit the Leave No Trace Canada website.
Bear safety
Potentially dangerous bear encounters are common in this park. Use bear-proof containers to transport and store your food and garbage. To avoid surprising bears, make plenty of noise while scouting rapids.
For more advice on staying safe in bear country, see the information about bears in the safety info section. Please report any close encounters with bears. Contact BC Parks or call the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
Responsible wildlife viewing
Only view wildlife from a distance, in a way that does not disturb the animals. Grizzly bears can often be seen from a distance at Grizzly Drop. Limit bear viewing to 30 minutes above the rapid and 10 minutes below the rapid.
For more information on safe, responsible ways to observe animals, see the wildlife viewing section of the wildlife safety page.
Campfire safety
Please bring a fire pan to contain any campfires you light. If you do not have a fire pan, carefully choose a safe site on the shore. Sandy areas are often the most appropriate. You must be able to clean up your fire so that no trace remains. Dispose of charred wood and ash in the river.
Never leave your campfire unattended. For more essential information on campfire safety, see the campfires section, above.
Kayaking and rafting safety
The Babine River’s rapids are suitable only for very skilled boaters. Be on the lookout for boulders throughout the river, especially at the bottom of drops. Snags and sweepers stuck in rapids are also common hazards.
Every trip should have a designated leader with extensive whitewater experience. Ideally, the trip leader should have experience with the Babine River. We also recommend including support boats in your trip.
Immediately past Gail Creek is a section of Class 4 rapids. This takes you down to the Skeena River through 10 serious Class 4 rapids. There are also dozens of Class 3 and Class 4 boulder drops.
If your skills have been challenged at all by this point, do not attempt the rapids beyond Gail Creek. Your last chance for a safe evacuation is from a gravel bar between the Silver Hilton Steelhead Lodge and Gail Creek.
The Babine River is a classified angling waterway. It offers world-class opportunities for catching steelhead and sockeye salmon. Please review:
- The fishing rules outlined in the bear safety rules, above
- The fishing etiquette rules outlined directly below
Fishing etiquette
- Give the people next to you room to make safe casts. When someone has a fish on, reel in and give them room to land their fish.
- Avoid monopolizing good pools for long periods. Give others a chance to get in and try out a productive pool.
- Be courteous to others on shore. Stay aware of people behind you when making your back cast.
- Consult fishing regulations and do not exceed your quota. The daily quota for sockeye salmon is posted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
Babine River Corridor Park is open to hunting. There is a no-shooting area around the park’s south entrance. Please refer to the BC hunting and trapping regulations synopsis for more information.
Anyone hunting in British Columbia must comply with BC hunting regulations. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
About this park
Babine River Corridor Park is within the traditional territories of the Ned’u’ten and Gitx̱san Peoples. Both nations have used, and continue to use, the area for sustenance as well as spiritual and commercial activities.
There are many culturally significant sites throughout the park. These include trails made by Indigenous Peoples, and culturally modified trees. Take extra care in these sites and leave any artifacts or remains where you find them.
Kisgegas Reserve, a Gitx̱san community near the northwest end of the park, is used as a training and rediscovery site. There are totem poles and old village sites throughout the reserve.
In 1994, the Babine River Interim Local Resource Use Plan (LRUP) first proposed the Babine River as a ‘wilderness zone’. This plan noted the important wildlife habitats in the area, as well the significant recreational opportunities it offered.
The Zoning proposed in the LRUP was confirmed by the Kispiox Land and Resource Management Plan of 1996. In 1998, the Bulkley Land and Resource Management Plan also confirmed this zoning.
Both these later plans recommended protection of the Babine River Corridor
in accordance with the province’s Protected Areas Strategy. Consequently, in 1999, the area was designated a Class A Provincial Park.
Babine River Corridor Park is within the Southern Skeena Mountains and Babine Upland eco-sections. The park was established to protect the natural features of the river corridor. Specifically, this park protects the river’s fish populations and the grizzly bears who feed on them.
Babine River Corridor Park is home to an internationally significant wild steelhead population and a provincially significant sockeye salmon run. Chinook, coho and pink salmon, Dolly Varden, and rainbow and bull trout also live in the river.
The Babine River is a critical seasonal feeding location for a provincially significant grizzly bear population. There are estimated to be about 100 grizzlies in the park. Black bears also live here.
The park attracts birds including bald eagles, geese, osprey, shorebirds, and owls. It also contains habitats for mammals including bats, wolves, coyotes, otters, mink, wolverines, beavers, muskrats, and moose.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.
Contact
| BC Parks regional office (Smithers) | |
|---|---|
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
