Plan Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park with floatplane access, Cold Fish Lake, hiking, canoeing, fishing, horseback authorization, hunting rules, and bear safety.
Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park spans the Spatsizi Plateau and Skeena Mountains in northwestern British Columbia. BC Parks describes it as one of Canada’s largest parks, with outstanding scenery, varied terrain, backcountry hiking, photography, nature study, and large wildlife populations.
The park is approximately 500 kilometres north of Smithers, and BC Parks says the best access is by float plane.
Why Visit Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park
Spatsizi is a true wilderness park. Facilities are extremely limited, with BC Parks facilities only at Cold Fish Lake Camp and some very rustic backcountry campgrounds. Visitors come for remote hiking, canoeing, fishing, wildlife viewing, horseback riding under authorization, hunting under rules, and winter travel.
The park surrounds Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve, which has different rules. Spatsizi itself is culturally significant to the Tahltan Nation, and archaeological finds must be left in place and reported.
Things To Do
Hike remote trails, fly in a canoe or pack raft to Cold Fish Lake, fish for species such as rainbow trout, lake trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic grayling, mountain whitefish, and burbot, watch wildlife, request horseback authorization, and hunt only under current regulations and closures.
Planning Notes
Leave a trip plan with a reliable person, carry satellite communication and survival gear, and prepare for cold rain or snow even in summer. ATVs and other motorized land vehicles are not allowed. Horse use requires authorization and certified weed-free pellets. Motorboating, aircraft landings, and hunting around Cold Fish Lake and Gladys Lake have specific restrictions. Internet access nearby is extremely limited.