Seven Sisters Protected Area

For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.

Several trails run from Highway 16 into the Seven Sisters Protected Area: Oliver Creek Trail, Watson Lakes Trail, Hell’s Bells Trail, Cedarvale Trail, Whiskey Creek Trail and Coyote Creek Trail. The trails offer a wide variety of experiences.

• Families with small children and novice hikers can easily reach the scenic lakeside picnic/camping site 1 km along the Watson Lake Trail.
• The Cedarvale Trail offers a half-day trip to treeline and goat viewing.
• Oliver and Whiskey Creek Trails provide more challenging hikes to treeline, and access to backcountry routes.
• Snowmobilers travel to an alpine basin along Flint Creek Road, the Hell’s Bells Trail and upper Oliver Creek Trail.
• Mountaineers use Coyote Creek Road or the Flint Creek Road and Oliver Creek Trail to reach Weeskinisht Peak.

Oliver Creek Trail

Oliver Creek Trail is 17 km long and climbs 1500 metres over its entire length, passing through wide a variety of forest types and ending in a spectacular alpine basin. It is ideal for overnight backpacking trips, connecting with both Flint Creek and Coyote Creek roads. Provides access to alpine hiking and the Seven Sisters peaks.

Access: The trailhead is located at a gravel pit on Hwy 16, about 6 km north of Oliver Creek.
Highway 16 turn-off location: 50.5 km from the four way stop (Hwy 16 and 37 junction) in Terrace, 40.2 km from the Kitwanga Junction (Petro-Canada gas station). The Oliver Creek Trails are now marked by blue blade signs at the highway.
Highway turn-off UTM Grid (WGS 84 datum): 09U Easting: 0542350 Northing: 6078954

Watson Lakes Trail

An easy 3 km hike (200m elev. gain) on a scenic, well maintained trail that passes three small lakes with picnic sites and fishing. Families with small children and novice hikers can easily reach the scenic lakeside picnic/camping site 1 km along the 3 km trail.

Access: The trailhead is located a few hundred metres from highway 16 on a relatively smooth gravel road. The turn-off is currently unmarked.
Highway 16 turn-off location: 53.8 km from the four way stop (Hwy 16 and 37 junction) in Terrace, 37.0 km from the Kitwanga Junction (Petro-Canada gas station). The Watson Lakes Trails are now marked by blue blade signs at the highway.
Highway turn-off UTM Grid (WGS 84 datum): 09U Easting: 0540071 Northing: 6080969

Hell’s Bells Trail

The Hell’s Bells Trail is 4km long and provides an alternate access to the middle of the Oliver Creek trail that avoids the elevation gain of the lower half. It is rather muddy in sections.

Access: From Highway 16 turn off on the marked Flint Creek Road. Proceed cautiously along through a maze of logging roads to the marked trailhead.
Highway 16 turn-off location: 62.3 km from the four way stop (Hwy 16 and 37 junction) in Terrace, 28.5 km from the Kitwanga Junction (Petro-Canada gas station).
Highway turn-off UTM Grid (WGS 84 datum): 09U Easting: 0538934 Northing: 6089117

Cedarvale Trail

A moderate 3km hike through varied forest including a cedar grove en route to treeline and spectacular scenery at the foot of a moraine. Experienced backcountry travelers prepared for some bushwhacking and equipped for glacier travel can proceed further and even cross over to the Whiskey Creek Trail.

Access:  Turn off Highway 16 at the point described below. Proceed roughly 3 km up the rough gravel road (high clearance required, 4x4 recommended) to the trailhead.
Highway 16 turn-off location: 70.6 km from the four way stop (Hwy 16 and 37 junction) in Terrace, 20.8 km from the Kitwanga Junction (Petro-Canada gas station).
Highway turn-off UTM Grid (WGS 84 datum): 09U Easting: 0542753 Northing: 6095328

Whiskey Creek Trail

A 7.2 km trail that starts out relatively level while traversing pleasant mature forest for the first 3 km. There is a difficult creek crossing at Whiskey Creek where the trail then ascends steeply through mixed forest types to join up with the upper reaches of the creek below a headwall and glacier, providing spectacular scenery and access for mountaineering. The crossing at the 3 km point is not possible at high water and must always be passed with extreme caution.

Access: The trailhead is located right beside Highway 16.
Highway 16 turn-off location: 84.2 km from the four way stop (Hwy 16 and 37 junction) in Terrace, 16 km from the Kitwanga Junction (Petro-Canada gas station).
Highway turn-off UTM Grid (WGS 84 datum): 09U Easting: 0545833 Northing: 6098771

Boulder Creek Trail

The Boulder Creek Trail is not currently being maintained due to terrain instability. Visitors may still use this trail at their own risk.

Coyote Creek Trail

The Coyote Creek Trail is located outside of the park and is not regularly maintained. It is 13 km long, rocky and brushy but is used by ATV riders, mountaineers and summer skiers to access the alpine areas of the park. ATVs are not permitted in the park and must stop at the park boundary which is located at the end of the Coyote Creek trail and is marked by a sign.

Highway turn-off UTM Grid (WGS 84 datum): 09U Easting: 0541950 Northing: 6094203

Swimming is available. 

There are canoeing and kayaking opportunities in this protected area. Visitors must be prepared to portage their boat.

There are canoeing and kayaking opportunities in this protected area. Visitors must be prepared to portage their boat.

Watson Lake has been stocked with rainbow trout in the past and the three small lakes along the Watson Lakes Trail are used for fishing. 

Seven Sisters Protected Area offers many excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. Resident mountain goat herds use the Seven Sisters peaks and ridges during the summer and winter in the forests near Oliver Creek and Hell’s Bells Creek. 

Grizzly (blue-listed) and black bears, raptors and other birds use the entire protected area. Wolverines are little known and rarely seen predators living in and suspected to be breeding in this area. In the low elevation forested area, marten and fisher (blue-listed) use the older forests, while moose, mule deer, coyotes and wolves tend to use the area around natural openings, burned areas and old cut blocks. 

The low elevation forest between Hell’s Bells Creek and Oliver Creek provides mule deer winter range. High elevation wetlands in the Upper Price Creek drainage are likely important for migratory waterfowl in spring and fall. Tailed frogs (blue-listed) have been found across the Skeena River from Oliver Creek, and may live in small tributaries within the protected area. High breeding populations of rough-skinned newts live in small ponds near Coyote Creek at the northern extent of their range.

Salmon pass through the lower reaches of all creeks. Trout live within most lakes and creeks.

Pets and domestic animals must be under control 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. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.

Mountain biking is allowed on the Oliver Creek Trail as far as the junction with Hell’s Bells Trail. Beyond that point bicycles are not permitted as the trail is too soft and muddy. Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.

For details on e-biking within Seven Sisters Protected Area, see the e-biking section.

Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are permitted on signed or designated trails within Seven Sisters Protected Area, provided they meet the definitions and criteria for e-bike use as outlined in the BC Parks cycling guidelines. E-biking is allowed on the Oliver Creek Trail as far as the junction with Hell’s Bells Trail. Beyond that point all bicycles are strictly prohibited as the trail is too soft and muddy

Horseback riding is allowed on the Oliver Creek Trail as far as the junction with Hell’s Bells Trail. Beyond that point horses are not permitted as the trail is too soft and muddy.

The protected area is open to hunting. All hunters to the area should refer to the current BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis.

Visitors can enjoy cross-country skiing on existing hiking trails, there are no set tracks. Visitors can enjoy snowshoeing on existing hiking trails.

Snowmobiling is permitted in an alpine bowl located in the upper reaches above the Oliver Creek Trail. Access to this area is provided via the connection of the Flint Creek Road, Hells Bells and Oliver Creek Trails which is gated but left open in the winter. Avalanche training is strongly recommended if you plan to snowmobile in Seven Sisters Park and you need to be prepared with the appropriate rescue and emergency equipment.

Please use fire rings where they are provided which is currently at the Watson Lakes picnic/camping sites. While campfires are allowed in this backcountry area, we encourage visitors to use campstoves for cooking purposes. To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather wood for fires from the area unless required for emergency situations. Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil.

Seven Sisters Protected Area offers a pleasant and quiet picnicking opportunity. Families with small children and novice hikers can easily reach the scenic lakeside picnic and camping site 1 km along the 3 km Watson Lakes Trail.

This park only has pit toilets, no flush toilets.