Plan Ptarmigan Creek Park near Crescent Spur with rugged hiking to Hammel Lakes, fishing, wildlife viewing, winter travel, no potable water, and trail cautions.
Ptarmigan Creek Park is a narrow, steep-sided valley at the north end of the Cariboo Mountains Ecosection above the Upper Fraser Trench. BC Parks says it protects 3,329 hectares of the intact east-branch Ptarmigan Creek watershed.
Access begins about five kilometres west of Crescent Spur, east of Prince George on the Yellowhead Highway corridor. The closest communities identified by BC Parks are Prince George and McBride.
Why Visit Ptarmigan Creek Park
This is a rugged Omineca-region destination for experienced backcountry hikers who want mountain lakes, ridge views, and a protected creek watershed. Ptarmigan Creek is a tributary of the Fraser River, and BC Parks identifies the area as habitat for caribou and grizzly bears.
The main route follows the Ptarmigan Creek Forest Road for about eight kilometres from Highway 16, then an 11-kilometre trail toward three subalpine Hammel Lakes near the headwaters. BC Parks also notes mountain goats in the protected wildlife values, and chinook salmon, rainbow trout, and sculpin in lower Ptarmigan Creek.
Things To Do
Hike to Hammel Lakes if you have strong route-finding skills, fish with the proper licence and site-specific regulations, watch wildlife from a distance, hunt during open seasons where regulations allow, and use summer trails for backcountry skiing or snowshoeing in winter.
Planning Notes
Bring drinking water because potable water is not available. The trail is not well marked, high water has washed out many sections and footbridge crossings, and BC Parks does not recommend it for inexperienced visitors. Pets must be leashed, and no cross-country ski tracks are set in winter.