Stein valley provincial park

The Stein Valley in the Fraser Canyon is an untouched heaven of protected BC wilderness. This 107,191 hectare Park is complete with over 150 km of hiking trails, fishing, hunting, white water kayaking and rafting, canoeing, swimming, bird watching, wildlife viewing, ski touring, snow shoeing, and many more outdoor adventure opportunities. Because this area is a protected wilderness site, no vehicles, motor boats, float planes, or ATV's are aloud in the park to preserve the vast eco system that lives here. The Stein Valley has been traveled for thousands of years by the aboriginals of this area the Nlaka'pamux people. used this valley as a source for food, tools, and other items needed for survival Pictograph sites are still viewable, some of the largest pictograph sites in Canada can be viewed in the Stein Valley. Visitors are asked to respect and preserve these historic sites by not touching them. Home to over 60 different species of land mammals including mountain goat, cougar, wolverine, black bear, grizzly bear. Bird species include golden eagles, sharp shinned hawks, barred owls, pigmy owls, white-tailed ptarmigan, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, as well as several species of chickadees, warblers and nuthatches. The Stein River contains dolly varden char, rainbow trout and Rocky Mountain whitefish, as well as steelhead trout, Coho, pink and Chinook salmon which return to the river at certain times of the year to spawn. The Stein Valley has a vast and diverse climate from the dry interior to the wetter Coastal Mountains. This, combined with the large elevation gradient, has resulted in very diverse vegetation communities within the Park. Dry ponderosa pine forests characterize the lower valley, while Douglas fir is predominant in the mid-valley and hemlock, cedar, spruce and fir become predominant in the western end of the valley. Patches of cedar exist throughout the valley. Spectacular flower blooms occur in the spring and summer, particularly at higher elevations. Campsites for small and large groups are available please visit the BC Parks Stein Valley Website for details http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/steinvly.html