Wells Gray Provincial Park

One of many wilderness lakes in British Columbia.

Wells Gray has something to appeal to almost every outdoor interest. It has lush alpine meadows, excellent birding and wildlife viewing opportunities, hiking opportunities ranging from one hour to many days as well as boating, canoeing and kayaking.

Guides offer horseback riding, canoeing, white-water rafting, fishing and hiking. The history enthusiast can learn about the early homesteaders, trappers and prospectors, or about the natural forces that produced Wells Gray’s many volcanoes, waterfalls, mineral springs and glaciers.

Established in 1939, the park was named for Arthur Wellsley Gray, Minister of Lands for British Columbia from 1933 to 1941. As a result of the Kamloops Land and Resources Management Plan, several land additions have been incorporated into Wells Gray Park. These include the Clearwater River Corridor Addition and the Trophy Mountain Addition, both designated in April 1996.

Wells Gray Provincial Park offers a variety of topographical features. Extinct volcanoes, lava beds, mineral springs and glaciers are just a few of the wonderful natural attractions at the park.

A number of spectacular waterfalls also exist, including the famous Dawson and Dawson Falls. Dense forest cover characterizes the lower elevations, with excellent examples of Douglas fir, Western red cedar and hemlock.

Wildlife, such as the grizzly bear, beaver, wolverine and timber wolf, abound. Wells Gray is home to one of the last remaining herds of mountain caribou found in the central interior of Britiish Columbia. A wide variety of waterfowl, though not numerous, is also found in the park.

The Clearwater River Area of the park includes canyon and volcanic features including lava flows, columnar basalts and pillow lavas. The area protects old-growth Douglas fir and cedar and hemlock forests, but primarily contains young forests of Douglas fir, lodgepole pine and extensive deciduous stands of aspen and birch.

The corridor supports many ungulates, birds, migration corridors, and spawning habitat for chinook salmon and rainbow and bull trout. Much of the corridor protects critical winter range habitat for moose as well as habitat for mule deer, black bear, coyote, white-tailed deer, otters and marten.

The Trophy Mountains rise 8,497 feet into the sky, with nine peaks towering over the Shuswap Highlands of Southern Wells Gray Provincial Park. Their northern slopes are steep and cloaked in glaciers while their southern slopes are gentle and dotted with alpine lakes and flower meadows.

The Trophy Mountain meadows are one of the most easily accessible sub-alpine meadows in the province.

The Mahood Lake Campground is a quiet destination campground for families and for fishing on the western end of Mahood Lake, the only lake in Wells Gray that isn’t glacier fed so it warms up enough for pleasant swimming.

For the angler, the lake holds kokanee, whitefish, burbot, rainbow and the occasional monster lake trout.

For anglers who want more excitement than lake trolling, the Canim and Mahood rivers, as well as several creeks, offer a multitude of opportunities for fly-casters. For visitors who just want to relax, there are several hundred feet of beach.

Campgrounds are open May through September. A fee is charged for camping at Pyramid, Falls Creek and Clearwater Lake. There are also fees charged to camp at the marine sites at Clearwater-Azure Lakes and Myrtle Lake.

Upland and big game hunting is allowed by residents only.