Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park | |
Iucn Category: | II |
Iucn Ref: | [1] |
Photo Width: | 250px |
Location: | Central Kootenay, British Columbia, Canada |
Map: | British Columbia geo |
Map Alt: | Map showing the location of Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park in the southeast corner of the province. |
Map Size: | 250px |
Nearest City: | Nelson, British Columbia |
Coordinates: | 49.7833°N -117.1667°W |
Area Ha: | 32,035 |
Governing Body: | BC Parks |
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is one of the oldest provincial parks in British Columbia, established in 1922. The park has an area of 320.35km2 and is located in the Selkirk Mountains in the West Kootenays region of BC. The park has three glaciers (Kokanee, Caribou, and Woodbury) that feed over 30 alpine lakes which are the headwaters of many creeks.
There are five access roads entering the park, which were developed as mining and forestry roads along the major drainages. The nearest towns are Nelson, Ainsworth, Kaslo and Slocan City (access is primarily from Nelson and Kaslo). Pierre Trudeau's youngest son, Michel, was killed in an avalanche in 1998 while skiing at the park.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has designated Kokanee Glacier Park as a category II protected area (national park), though it is actually administered by the provincial government of British Columbia.[2]
Grays Peak is a prominent mountain in the park. Named after Robert Hampton Gray (VC) and his brother, John Balfour Gray, the peak is notable as the mountain featured on the label of Kokanee beer.[3]