The Columbia Forest District covers three physiographic areas; the Rocky Mountains, the Rocky Mountain Trench and the Columbia Mountains.
Golden Office Info & Staff
Revelstoke Office Info & Staff
The Rocky Mountains, to the east of Kinbasket Lake and the Columbia River south of Kinbasket Lake are world renowned for their scenery, heights and relief. Their "matterhorn" peaks are the result of cirque glaciation, while valley outlines have been modified by both ice and water erosion.
The Columbia Mountains, consisting of the Purcell, Selkirk and Monashee Mountains are to the west of the Rocky Mountains. They are older than the Rocky Mountains and extremely rugged, having been sculpted like the Rocky Mountains, by cirque and valley glaciation.
Dividing the Columbia and Rocky Mountains is the Rocky Mountain Trench, a wide valley extending in a northwesterly direction from the B.C. - U.S.A. border to the B.C. - Yukon border.
The Columbia River flows north in the Rocky Mountain Trench, then south between the Selkirk and Monashee Mountains. Three large reservoirs on the Columbia River provide for much of the low elevation water based recreational activity.
This area is in the Interior Wet Belt and receives precipitation second only to that of the west coast. The climate is continental with cool winters and warm summers. The valley bottom temperatures are moderate from May to September, and warmest in July and August. The alpine meadows and subalpine forests are snow free from mid-July to mid-October, but adverse weather may be expected year round.
The recreational opportunities are consistent with the rugged nature of the terrain. In summer, camping, fishing and picnicking are pursued along the water courses and lakes at lower elevations, while at higher elevations hiking and mountaineering are pursued. Hiking and hunting are popular in the fall, giving way to cross-country skiing, ski-touring and snowmobiling as the snowpack increases.
Access to the area from the east and west is by Highway 1, from the south, Highway 95 provides access to Golden and Highway 23 provides access to Revelstoke.
Page last modified: Friday, March 02, 2007 Visitors
Page last modified: Friday, March 02, 2007
Visitors
