Park overview
Mount Griffin is a remote park lying southwest of Three Valley Gap. It was created to protect a range of ecosystems, from valley bottom wetlands to alpine and subalpine environments.
It consists of three separate areas, partially surrounding Mount Griffin Ecological Reserve. There is a small campsite in the park at Caribou Lake (west side of the park) and a Forest Recreation Site at Wap Lake (just outside the southwest corner of the park).
Advisories
Camping
This park offers vehicle accessible campsites on a first come, first served basis. Campsite reservations are not accepted. One site at Caribou Lake and two forestry sites at Wap Lake.
Wilderness camping is allowed, but no facilities are provided.
Facilities
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.
Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary from park to park.
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.
Campfire bans may be in place. Before lighting a fire, check for bans or restrictions on BC Wildfire Service and on local or Indigenous government websites.
This park only has pit toilets, no flush toilets.
Activities
Swimming is possible at Wap Lake.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
Cycling is permitted.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Mount Griffin 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.
Horses and horseback riding are permitted on roads only. There are no horse trails.
The west side of Mount Griffin can be accessed via the Yard Creek forest service road, beginning at Yard Creek Park. The Caribou Lake trailhead is about 20 km from Yard Creek Park. The road is rough and seldom used. Four-wheel drive vehicles with good clearance are recommended. Caribou Lake is about 3 km from the end of the road on a narrow trail.
The Wap Creek wetlands and Wap Lake can be reached using the Wap Creek forest service road, which starts at the Trans-Canada Highway just west of Three Valley Gap. While road conditions vary with weather, two-wheel drive vehicles can usually use this road in summer. Wap Lake is about 11 km from the Trans-Canada.
Park and activity maps
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: April 18, 2001
- Size: 1,758 hectares
Nature and culture
History
Most the park has been unaffected by human activity. Railroad logging took place in the upper Wap River valley in the early part of the century.
Conservation
The park extends from the Wap Creek floodplain to high elevation forests and alpine-subalpine terrain surrounding Mount Griffin, including the following biogeoclimatic zones: ICHmw3, ICHwk1, ESSFwc2, ESSFvc and AT-Ewcp.
It has small stands of old growth cedar, hemlock and subalpine fir. Aquatic features include: Wap Lake, sedge and shrub wetlands, small ponds, sphagnum bogs and a meandering stream in the Wap Valley as well as ponds and wetlands at mid-elevations and in the subalpine.
Wildlife
The park provides habitat for moose, beaver and other animals of the riparian and wetland forest. At higher elevations black and grizzly bears, mountain caribou and pine marten may be found.
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.