Park overview
The Junction Sheep Range Park consists of rolling grasslands and deeply eroded gullies at the confluence of the Chilcotin and Fraser Rivers in central British Columbia. This unique landscape is a place of spectacular scenery, with cliffs and hoodoos breaking the grassland benches.
The park was originally part of a Wildlife Management Area managed by BC Environment. It was then proposed for protection through a wide variety of planning processes including the Protected Areas Strategy and the Cariboo-Chilcotin CORE process, and was designated a provincial park in 1995 through the Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan. The area is protected most notably because of its importance to an internationally significant herd of California bighorn sheep.
To learn more about conservation efforts to preserve the values in this park, click to view Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society’s webpage.
Advisories
Special notes
- Camping is not permitted in the Junction Sheep Range Park or on the private property of Riske Creek Ranching.
- Obey park closures. Under the Hunting Regulations, only the access road is open to motor vehicles from April 1 to November 30. Obey any posted signs showing a vehicle in a circle with a line through it. This sign means “No Motorized Vehicles Beyond This Point.”
- Trampling of the cryptogamic crust, largely composed of lichens, causes soil erosion, and lichens may take many years to re-establish. Please stay on public trails and do not drive on or trample the lichen crust.
- Weed infestations, often introduced accidentally by vehicles, are a serious threat to habitat for wildlife and cattle. Please check your vehicle before entering the park and remove and destroy any plants caught in the vehicle undercarriage.
Activities
If you must bring your dog to Junction Sheep Range, it must be under control at all times. It is illegal to allow your dog to harass wildlife or livestock. You are responsible for its behaviour. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Junction Sheep Range Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
The park is open to hunting and horses can brought in for hunting. Please check the BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more information.
The Junction Sheep Range Park is located at the junction of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers. The closest major center is Williams Lake. Access to the park is difficult, via rough four-by-four dirt roads through private ranchlands. For map information, please refer to topographical map numbers: 1:50 000-92O/16, 92O/15, and 92O/9.
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: July 12, 1995
- Size: 4,774 hectares
Nature and culture
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.