Ancient Forest (Chun T'oh Whudujut)

This is an inland temperate rainforest, an ecosystem that exists in only a few places on earth and nowhere else at this scale: it survives about eight hundred kilometres from the ocean because heavy snowfall and a wet trough keep humidity high enough for coastal species. Western redcedars here exceed a thousand years and some are over five metres across. The forest was slated for logging until local volunteers built a trail in 2006 to draw attention to it, and it was protected as a provincial park in 2016, co-named with the Lheidli T'enneh. A boardwalk section, largely volunteer-built, is wheelchair accessible.

History

The park was established on 19 May 2016 to protect part of the inland temperate rainforest of British Columbia. In 2018 the province and the Lheidli T'enneh Nation agreed to plan and manage it together, and on 6 July 2020 the Nation announced provincial and federal funding for an $8.7 million project to improve its facilities and build a centre sharing Lheidli T'enneh culture (Wikipedia, Ancient Forest/Chun T'oh Whudujut Provincial Park and Protected Area).

What you'll find

• The thousand-year cedars - trees over five metres across, some very old.
• The accessible boardwalk - a wheelchair-usable route into old growth.
• The inland rainforest - a coastal ecosystem 800 km from the sea.
• The Radies Tree - the largest named cedar on the upper loop.

When to go

May to September; the boardwalk is icy and the upper trails hard in winter. Rain suits the forest and the mosses. Mosquitoes are heavy in June and July.

Good to know

The upper loop is steep with stairs, though the lower boardwalk is accessible. Facilities are minimal. The site is a long drive from Prince George with no services nearby.

Nearby

Prince George lies west; Mount Robson is southeast.

Key facts