Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark, British Columbia, is 782,200 ha along the former edge of the Western Interior Seaway. The site, administered by the Tumbler Ridge Museum, includes Cretaceous-age dinosaur tracks and dinosaur bone beds, waterfalls, caves, and canyons. The park includes Bearhole Lake Provincial Park (Alberta-British Columbia Foothills Forests ecoregion), Gwillim Lake Provincial Park, Monkman Provincial Park, Wapiti Lake Provincial Park, and additional public lands. The westernmost point is Mount Palsson (N55°6’ W121°48’), the northernmost point is near Skunk Falls (N55°23’ W120°56’), the southernmost point is at Mount Bully Glacier Peak (N54°27’ W120°56’), and the easternmost point is the Alberta border between Mistanusk Creek (N54°35’ W120°0’) and Windsor Creek (N55°7’ W120°0’). There are 22 trails to mountain summits, caves, canyons, waterfalls, and dinosaur trackways. Visitor sites outside the provincial parks include Quality Canyon (N55°11’ W120°57’), Teepee Falls (N55°19’ W120°56’), Bergeron Falls (N55°13’ W120°58’), Flatbed Falls and Cabin Pool dinosaur tracks (N55°6’ W120°58’), Boulder Gardens and Babcock Falls (N54°55’ W120°57’), Nesbitt’s Knee Falls and Barbour Falls (N54°57’ W121°7’), Wapiti Falls (N54°37’ W120°38’), and Red Deer Falls (N54°30’ W120°38’). All coordinates are approximate.
Gwillim Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia (N55°25’ W121°15’), is 32,326 ha in size and accessed via Route 29 about 60 km south of Chetwynd. Lakeside recreation, canoeing, and hiking opportunities are offered. The park extends from the Murray River in the north to Mount Merkle in the south. Vegetation is white spruce, aspen, and lodgepole pine. It is part of the Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark.
Monkman Provincial Park, British Columbia, is 62,867 ha on the Murray River and Monkman Creek. It is reached by the Murray River Road, which ends at the park 60 km south of Tumbler Ridge. The park has alpine meadows, old growth spruce, mountain peaks, fossil beds, and waterfalls. There are nine consecutive waterfalls on Monkman Creek (N54°41’ W121°9’) downstream of Monkman Lake. In addition, Canary Falls, Stone Corral karst area, and 60-m-tall Kinuseo Falls (N54°46’ W121°12’) are within the park. From the road end, the 63-km-long Monkman Pass Memorial trail crosses the Rockies and can be hiked in five to six days. It is part of the Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark.
Wapiti Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia (N54°32’ W120°46’), is 16,809 ha in size and includes the watershed of the upper Wapiti River on the east side of the Rockies. Access is via Ojay Road, then by a 14-km hike from the trailhead to the park boundary, passing Wapiti Falls. The Wapiti Onion Trail continues into the park, passing Wapiti Lake at 19 km and contining to Onion Lake at 30 km. Onion Lake is in an alpine setting. It is part of the Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark and is known as the world’s most important site for Triassic marine reptile fossils (Mikkelsen 2007).
Mikkelsen, Alana. 2007. From Feet to Flippers: Searching for Ancient Roots in Marine Reptile’s Family Tree. University of Calgary Magazine, Spring 2007. Viewed on March 28, 2017, at www.ucalgary.ca/news/uofcpublications/umagazine/spring2007/feet-flippers.
