Plan Seton Portage Historic Park west of Lillooet with day-use picnicking, a railway caboose, Gold Rush history, and gravel-road access notes.
Seton Portage Historic Park is a 0.7-hectare historic site on the south side of the Seton River, 70 kilometres west of Lillooet. BC Parks says it is the smallest provincial park in British Columbia and commemorates the location of the first railway in the province.
The park contains an old railway caboose maintained by the Seton Portage and Shalalth District Chamber of Commerce.
Why Visit Seton Portage Historic Park
Seton Portage is a small day-use stop with an unusually large story. The official page connects the site to an important route out of the Lower Mainland during the Gold Rush and to the three miles of railway constructed in 1861 on wooden rails to move goods and miners between two lakes.
BC Parks also explains that the portage itself was created about 10,000 years ago when a large landslide divided an existing lake into two separate lakes. Alexander Anderson, a Hudson’s Bay Company fur trader, travelled through the area while seeking a route from Kamloops to Harrison and back up the Fraser.
Things To Do
Picnic, look at the caboose, read the landscape as a transportation corridor, and use the stop to understand how the portage, early railway, Gold Rush travel, and later BC Railway history connect.
Planning Notes
Access is by gravel road from Shalalth to Seton Portage. BC Parks places the park between BC Railway and the road connecting Shalalth to Seton Portage, so drive carefully and check local conditions. Pets must be leashed, and visitors are responsible for their behaviour and waste. Do not expect a large recreation area or overnight facilities.