| Bear Creek | |
| Pushpin Map: | British Columbia |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth of Bear Creek |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | British Columbia |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Cassiar Land District |
| Length: | 28km (17miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 1.17m3/s |
| Source1: | Level Mountain Range |
| Source1 Location: | Level Mountain |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 58.3056°N -131.4114°W[1] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1578m (5,177feet) |
| Mouth: | Tahltan River |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 58.1208°N -131.3006°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 502m (1,647feet)[2] |
| Basin Size: | 98.5km2, |
| Custom Label: | Topo maps |
Bear Creek is a tributary of the Tahltan River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally south through the Nahlin Plateau about 28km (17miles)[3] to join the Tahltan River just downstream from the Tahltan and Little Tahltan River confluence.
Bear Creek's watershed covers 98.5km2, and its mean annual discharge is an estimated 1.17m3/s.[4] The mouth of the Bear Creek is located about 25km (16miles) north of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 115km (71miles) east of Juneau, Alaska, and about 222km (138miles) southeast of Whitehorse, Yukon. Bear Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 35.9% shrubland, 19.1% conifer forest, 16.5% herbaceous, 13.9% mixed forest, 13.3% barren, and small amounts of other cover.[4]
Bear Creek is in the traditional territory of the Tahltan people.[5] [6]
Bear Creek originates on the south flank of the massive Level Mountain shield volcano, about 15km (09miles) south of Meszah Peak, the highest peak of the Level Mountain Range, a cluster of bare peaks on the summit of Level Mountain. The creek flows south through Level Mountain's high and relatively barren lava plateau. After about 17km (11miles) Bear Creek enters a steep canyon carved into the escarpment on Level Mountain's southern edge. Shortly after this the creek is joined by several significant but unnamed tributaries that also flow south from Level Mountain's high lava plateau. These tributaries have also carved steep gorges into Level Mountain's southern escarpment. Below the escarpment the landscape is dominated by coniferous forests. Bear Creek continues south, collecting several more unnamed tributaries, until it reaches the Tahltan River about a kilometre east of the Little Tahltan confluence and the Indian reserve of "Tahltan Forks 5" of the Tahltan First Nation.[7] [8] [9]