Tweedsmuir Park appeals primarily to outdoor enthusiasts interested in boating, angling, camping, hiking or hunting in one of North America’s most magnificent wilderness areas.
Outdoor recreation opportunities are almost unlimited, but those who are not prepared to be completely self-sufficient or who do not wish to employ a professional guide should not contemplate a visit.
Chikamin Bay Rail Portage
To get from Chikamin Bay on Whitesail Lake to St. Thomas Bay on Eutsuk Lake in Tweedsmuir Park, boaters are required to winch their boats over a 600 metre rail portage. Winching services at the Chikamin Bay Rail Portage are open from June 15 to September 7, 7am to 5pm.
Boats to about 7 metres in length can be portaged. Low water conditions in August and September may prevent larger vessels from using the rail portage. Contact the Smithers BC Parks office if there are concerns or questions.
There are two options for getting across the portage:
Fees example: (1 boat with 4 persons winched in and out of Eutsuk Lake via Chikamin Bay rail portage):
There is a backcountry cabin available to the public. It is located on Fenton Lake and is used on a first come, first serve basis. Fenton Cabin is not regularly maintained by parks staff. Be prepared for varying conditions and the chance that you may occasionally share the space with mice or other critters.
The following private organizations also provide accommodation within this park:
Wilderness camping areas are located at various sites along the shores of Eutsuk Lake. There is a backcountry fee for visitors to the Eutsuk Lake area of Tweedsmuir Park.
These areas provide sheltered anchorages, tent sites, pit toilets and fire rings. Please use these designated sites. No reservations are taken. Only cash payments can be accepted.
This park only has pit toilets, no flush toilets.
Chikamin Ridge Trail: 3 km long, 600 m of elevation gain. This trail departs from Blackwell Point Campsite and leads to an alpine ridge of Chikamin Mountain. Visitors will be rewarded with spectacular views of Eutsuk Lake and the surrounding mountains. Pay close attention to where the trail emerges into the alpine as it may be hard to find on your return.
Surel Lake Trail: 1.5 km, 50 m of elevation gain. A short 300 m trail from Eutsuk Lake leads to a 10 m waterfall on Surel Creek. The trail continues another 1.2 km to Surel Lake where there are scenic views of Surel Peak and Mount Musclow.
Musclow Lake Trail: 500 m long, 30 m of elevation gain. This short trail starts at Eutsuk Lake and follows the west side of Musclow Creek to the lake. Views are limited from the end of the trail but it is a good trail for portaging into Musclow Lake.
Sand Cabin Bay Lookout Trail: 600m long, 90 m of elevation gain. A short, steep climb from Sand Cabin Bay on Eutsuk Lake to the tip of a rock bluff. Spectacular panoramas of the Nechako Plateau, Quanchus Mountains and the opportunity to view wildlife in the marsh below.
Tetachuk River Trail: 5 km long with minimal elevation change. An easy hike from the east end of Eutsuk Lake along the Tetachuck River to fishing spots in the lower Redfern Rapids and a commercial lodge on Tetachuk Lake.
Eutsuk and Pondosy Lakes are great for boating and sightseeing. Please note:
Quality fishing with good populations of mountain whitefish, rainbow trout, kokanee, and bubot is available in the park. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
The following private organizations also provide access to activites in this park:
Hunting is permitted only during lawful game hunting season. Check the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis for regulations.
Please refer to these best practices for hunting in North Tweedsmuir Park
Tweedsmuir Park is approximately 480 kilometres by air northwest of Vancouver. The park is bounded on the north and southwest by the Coast Mountains and on the east by the Nechako Plateau. The park is south of Highway #16, approximately 90 to 100 kilometres, between Burns Lake and Houston.
The Nechako Reservoir (Ootsa and Whitesail Lakes) is the main access route to the northern region of the park but boaters must use caution when travelling on these lakes as the shoreline is a forest of drowned trees and floating debris that create hazardous boating conditions. A number of channels have been cut through the dead trees to give access to emergency landing areas. These provide shelter from the sudden and strong winds that funnel down the lakes from the Coast Mountains.
Two common access points to the northern portion of Tweedsmuir Park are Little Andrews Bay Marine Park and Wistaria Park. See those pages for travel directions.
Tweedsmuir Provincial Park was established May 21, 1938. The park was named for the 15th Governor General of Canada, John Buchan, Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield. The Governor General traveled extensively by float plane and horseback in the park during August of 1937 and he and his party were greatly impressed by its magnificence.
Eutsuk Lake, located within the park, derives its name from the Ulkatcho Carrier dialect and is the focal point of the water-oriented activities of North Tweedsmuir Park. A number of waterways owe their names to Father Adrien Gabriel Morice, who surveyed the area in the late 19th century producing accurate, detailed maps.
The northern section of Tweedsmuir Park is almost entirely pristine wilderness. The lake-and-waterway-dotted Nechako Plateau, a division of the vast Interior Plateau, forms most of the northern region with the Quanchus Mountain Range, dominated by Mount Wells and Tweedsmuir, Michel, Wells Gray and Eutsuk Peaks, all more than 1900 metres in height, covering much of its central area. Lower elevations are forested for the most part with lodgepole pine mixed with some white spruce. Mountain slopes to the timberline, at approximately 1525 metre elevation, are covered with subalpine (balsam) fir and Engelmann spruce. Interspersed throughout are natural grass clearings and black spruce dominated boggy areas.
Wildlife is widespread and fairly prevalent. In summer and fall woodland caribou frequent the slopes of the Quanchus and Chikamin Mountain Ranges. In other areas mountain goats, mule deer, moose, black bear, grizzly bear and wolves are in evidence.
Visitors to the alpine meadows often see smaller mammals such as hoary marmots, wolverines, and Siberian lemmings as well as various bird species, including willow ptarmigans, gray-crowned rosy finches and golden-crowned sparrows.
Elsewhere members of the grouse family occur in considerable numbers and waterfowl are usually plentiful in the swamps and ponds. Around the Nechako Reservoir, dead trees provide nesting sites for fish-hunting ospreys.
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.