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Wells Gray Park – Nature’s Spectacular Creation
Wednesday, June 19th, 2002 by GetawayBC.com
Wells Gray Provincial Park encompasses 515,301 ha; it was established in 1939 and named after Wellesley Gray, a one time prominent Minister of Lands.
This glorious wilderness, now a Class A Park, has been chiseled out of ice, carved by fire, and shaped by water. In the east and north, Wells Gray is bordered by the soaring Cariboo Mountains, and in the west, the park presents a different landscape as it opens up to the more gentle Shuswap Highlands.
Volcanoes have been erupting over millions of years; they have left their mark on the Clearwater valley, in the form of a jumbled landscape of wild geological forms that are a wonder to behold. Through the ages, water and ice have created deep canyons where the famous waterfalls of Wells Gray Park originated.
The park is home to many species of wildlife and birds. The best known of the local residents is probably the black bear. These creatures are magnificent and are a delight to watch, but it can not be said too often, please respect them; watch them, photograph them from a safe distance, but never entice them with food or approach them. The bears live in the park, and visitors are asked to be polite and respectful guests in their home.
Wells Gray Park is located a day’s drive from Vancouver, and just a few hours travel from the interior city of Kamloops.
Access to the trails, viewpoints, campgrounds, in short most of what a visitor to the park wants to explore, is best achieved from the area known as the Corridor in the Clearwater Valley. From the Info Centre on Hwy 5, go 40 km (25 miles) north on Clearwater Valley Road to the Hemp Creek entrance, the official entrance to the park with a concession run by the Park Facility Operator during the summer months.
Some of the areas to visit from here are Green Mountain, and the Look Out Tower, Dawson Falls, Pyramid Campground, Helmcken Falls, Bailey’s Chute, Clearwater Lake and Falls Creek Campgrounds.
Wells Gray Park is a holiday destination with so many possibilities for outdoor adventure; it is difficult to do justice to it in only one visit, which is the reason why so many visitors have returned many times over the years.;