Protected area overview
Northern Rocky Mountains Protected Area, was originally established in January 2001 and includes a portion of the Wokkpash Valley-MacDonald Creek Loop Trail ( view map of the Wokkpash hiking trail). The area borders Stone Mountain Park to the northwest and Kwadacha Wilderness Park to the southwest. In combination, these areas protect a vast portion of the northeastern mountain landscape, creating an unparalleled contiguous wilderness.
Northern Rocky Mountains Protected Area offers an exciting array of visual and recreation features and opportunities for the backcountry adventurer. Recreation activities include scenery and wildlife viewing, angling, boating, hunting, adventure tourism, camping, hiking, horseback riding and nature photography.
Access to the area is mainly by boat, aircraft, hiking or horseback. Recreational use is primarily during the summer and autumn months. For the rest of the year, the area is virtually uninhabited. There are many primitive campsites along the major river courses. Most of the main rivers and creeks have trails that were established by guide outfitters, but few are well maintained.
Advisories
Safety info
- Grizzly and black bears may be encountered within the park. Please be bear aware, and learn how to stay safe in bear country.
Special notes
- Special care must be taken in alpine and subalpine areas. These are among the most fragile because of the severe conditions and short growing season. Please walk carefully and tread lightly.
Camping
Wilderness camping is allowed, but no facilities are provided. Please practice responsible recreation.
Facilities
Keep backcountry campfires small.
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.
Activities
For your own safety and the preservation of the protected area, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
Information on hiking excursions offered by private companies (non-government website):
The park offers opportunities for wilderness paddling experiences. These trips are only recommended for experienced paddlers. Pre-trip research and planning is required. Potential trips include:
- Tuchodi River – Multi-day trip starting from Tuchodi Lakes (air access only) down the Tuchodi River to the Muskwa River and on to Kledo Creek boat launch which is accessible from the Alaska Highway.
- Muskwa River – Multi-day trip starting just below the upper canyon on the Muskwa River (air access only via helicopter) to the Kledo Creek boat launch, which is accessible from the Alaska Highway.
The park offers opportunities for wilderness paddling experiences. These trips are only recommended for experienced paddlers. Pre-trip research and planning is required. Potential trips include:
- Tuchodi River – Multi-day trip starting from Tuchodi Lakes (air access only) down the Tuchodi River to the Muskwa River and on to Kledo Creek boat launch which is accessible from the Alaska Highway.
- Muskwa River – Multi-day trip starting just below the upper canyon on the Muskwa River (air access only via helicopter) to the Kledo Creek boat launch, which is accessible from the Alaska Highway.
Lake trout, rainbow trout, bull trout, arctic grayling and lake whitefish are just some of the sport fish in the Northern Rocky Mountains Protected Area.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
There are wildlife viewing opportunities. Black bear, grizzly bear, elk, caribou, goat, Stones sheep, wolf and deer frequent the area.
Pets and 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. Dogs should be under control to avoid any potential problem with wildlife. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
Northern Rocky Mountains Protected Area offers excellent opportunities for backcountry horseback riding. Riders should be experienced and prepared for wilderness travel, as there are no designated trails.
Information on horseback hunting excursions offered by private companies (non-government website):
Mountaineering opportunities exist.
The protected area is open to hunting. All hunters to the area should refer to the current BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis.
Information on hunting excursions offered by private companies (non-government website):
Winter recreation opportunities include snowmobiling. Winter users should be well educated about avalanche terrain and managing risk while travelling in such terrain.
BC Parks, in consultation with various user groups, has designated certain areas for snowmobiling. Snowmobiling is allowed in the Nature Recreation Zone, only. View the Northern Rocky Mountains Zoning Map [PDF], the Google Earth KMZ, and Global Positioning System GPX files under the Protected area and activity maps. These files show where snowmobiling is allowed in the park. Please respect these boundaries.
Northern Rocky Mountains Protected Area is located approximately 90 km southwest of Fort Nelson. The Alaska Highway (97) runs along a portion of the northern park. Access is by riverboat, horse, aircraft and foot.
Protected area and activity maps
- Park Map [PDF]
- Wokkpash Valley Trail Map [PDF]
- Northern Rocky Mountains Zoning Map [PDF]
- Google Earth KMZ file of Northern Rocky Mountains Park Zoning [KMZ]
- The following GPX files of Northern Rocky Mountains Park Zoning can be used with a global positioning system (GPS):
Learn more about this protected area
Protected area details
- Date established: January 25, 2001
- Size: 763 hectares
Nature and culture
Conservation
The Northern Rocky Mountains Protected Area provides representation of the Eastern Muskwa Ranges, Muskwa Foothills and Muskwa Plateau ecosections. The park landscape consists of a series of northwest-southeast trending valley and ridges. Glaciation has resulted in broad U-shaped river valley bottoms, mountain cirques and morainal ridges.
The mountains in the Muskwa Range have steep eastern faces with gentler grades on western aspects. Peak summit elevations range from Mount Mary Henry at 2641 m to Mount Sylvia at 2942 m. In comparison to the southern Rocky Mountains, the Muskwa Ranges are older and generally show evidence of more complex tectonic deformation that results in spectacular geological features.
One of the notable features of the Northern Rocky Mountains Park is the diversity of water features. The area is accentuated by major rivers, clear, cold streams, waterfalls, rapids, small glaciers and lakes. The rivers include the Tetsa, Chischa, Tuchodi and Muskwa and the main creeks are the Gathto, Kluachesi, Dead Dog and Chlotapecta. All creeks and rivers in the Northern Rocky Mountains flow into the Muskwa. Kluachesi and Tetsa are examples of the larger lakes in the area, but the largest and most important water recreation feature in the Northern Rocky Mountains Protected Area is the upper and lower Tuchodi Lakes.
The boreal white and black spruce, spruce willow birch and the alpine tundra biogeoclimatic zones are found in the Northern Rocky Mountains Park. Forests in the valley bottoms are dominated by white spruce and aspen, and are replaced by subalpine fir and white spruce at higher elevations.
Alpine plant communities consist of dwarf willows, grasses, sedges, forbs and lichens. The park also has numerous wetlands and native grasslands. Old growth white spruce forests can be found along the major river valley bottoms.
Wildlife
A diverse variety of wildlife inhabits this northeastern mountain landscape. The area provides high quality habitat for moose, elk, stone sheep and mountain goat. The abundance of prey supports predator species such as wolves and grizzly and black bears.
Other important wildlife includes furbearers such as marten, fisher, weasels and wolverines. Information on small mammals, amphibians, birds, invertebrates and reptiles is relatively unknown. Lake trout, rainbow trout, bull trout, arctic grayling and lake whitefish are some of the important sport fish species in the Northern Rocky Mountains Park.
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.