Close-To-The-Edge Park is a BC Parks site in the Dezaiko Range of the Rocky Mountains, about 160 kilometres northeast of Prince George. BC Parks says the park protects the internationally significant Close-To-The-Edge cave.
The cave has the deepest shaft and is the third deepest overall cave in Canada, at 472 metres.
Close-To-The-Edge is a serious caving and backcountry destination, not a casual cave walk. BC Parks says the cave's primary shaft drops 255 metres straight down, with a diameter that varies up to 30 metres, and that the cave is particularly dangerous because of its depth and vertical shaft.
Access adds to the commitment. The park is reached from Pass Lake Forest Service Road, and the route follows a very rough trail along Hedrick Creek before crossing the creek by hand-operated cable car. Caving is available in several caves, but only experienced spelunkers should attempt them.
The park also protects important habitat for caribou, moose, black bears, and grizzly bears. The cave was discovered in 1983 and bottomed in 2001.
Plan around rough backcountry hiking, expert-only caving, white-nose syndrome cave-gear precautions, wildlife awareness, route planning, and seasonal hunting under current provincial regulations.
Bring drinking water because potable water is not available, and do not rely on untreated streams or lakes. Water resources are limited in the eastern half of the park near the cave. Prepare for a hazardous vertical cave, the Hedrick Creek cable-car crossing, and a remote Rocky Mountain setting.
