Northern Rocky Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Northern Rocky Mountains, usually referred to as the Northern Rockies, are a subdivision of the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...

 comprising the northern half of the Canadian segment of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

. While their northward limit is easily defined as the Liard River
Liard River
The Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...

, which is the northward terminus of the whole Rockies, the southward limit is debatable, although the area of Mount Ovington and Monkman Pass
Monkman Pass
Monkman Pass, 1061 m , is a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies, located southwest of the coal-mining town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia...

 is mentioned in some sources, as south from there are the Continental Ranges
Continental Ranges
The Continental Ranges is a name for a major grouping of mountain ranges in the Rocky Mountains located in eastern British Columbia and western Alberta...

, which are the main spine of the Rockies forming the boundary between British Columbia and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

. Some use the term to mean only the area north of Lake Williston (the Peace River
Peace River (Canada)
The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...

), and in reference to Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park
Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park
Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, 90 km north-west from Fort Nelson and it is bordered to the north by the Alaska Highway...

, while others consider the term to extend all the way south, beyond the limit of the Hart Ranges
Hart Ranges
The Hart Ranges are one of the main geographic subdivisions of the Canadian Rockies and are the main part of the area that is meant by the Northern Rockies, although the much larger Muskwa Ranges to the north are more deserving of that term — but also much more inaccessible and much less...

 at Mount Ovington, to McBride
McBride, British Columbia
Situated on the Yellowhead Highway , McBride is a small community in the Robson Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, located southeast of Prince George, west of the Alberta border, and west of Jasper, Alberta....

 and Mount Robson
Mount Robson
Mount Robson is the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range; it is also the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. The mountain is located entirely within Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, and is part of the Rainbow Range. It is commonly thought to be the...

.

The area south of Lake Williston - the Hart Ranges
Hart Ranges
The Hart Ranges are one of the main geographic subdivisions of the Canadian Rockies and are the main part of the area that is meant by the Northern Rockies, although the much larger Muskwa Ranges to the north are more deserving of that term — but also much more inaccessible and much less...

 - is much more accessible and better-known, while north of Lake Wililston the Northern Rockies are extremely remote and rarely visited or photographed. The Hart Ranges are traversed by BC Highway 97 (the John Hart Highway)
British Columbia provincial highway 97
Highway 97 is the longest continuously-numbered route in the Canadian province of British Columbia , running 2,081 km from the Canada/U.S. border at Osoyoos in the south to the British Columbia/Yukon border in the north at Watson Lake, Yukon. The route takes its number from U.S...

 and the Peace River extension of the former BC Rail line (now part of Canadian National Railways), which use the Pine Pass
Pine Pass
The Pine Pass, 875 m , is a mountain pass in the Hart Ranges of the Northern Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. It is used by BC Highway 97 and the Canadian National Railway formly BC Rail to connect the Peace Country of the province's Northeastern Interior, and is the location of the...

, and also by the Tumbler Ridge spur line to the Sukunka River coalmines. The Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...

 traverses the northernmost part of the range via Stone Mountain and Muncho Lake Provincial Parks.

Subranges

  • Muskwa Ranges
    Muskwa Ranges
    The Muskwa Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in northern British Columbia, Canada. They are part of the Northern Rockies section of the Rocky Mountains and are bounded on their west by the Rocky Mountain Trench and on their east by the Rocky Mountain Foothills...

     (north of Lake Williston)
  • Hart Ranges
    Hart Ranges
    The Hart Ranges are one of the main geographic subdivisions of the Canadian Rockies and are the main part of the area that is meant by the Northern Rockies, although the much larger Muskwa Ranges to the north are more deserving of that term — but also much more inaccessible and much less...

     (south of Lake Williston)
    • Misinchinka Ranges (from the Pine Pass south to Monkman Pass
      Monkman Pass
      Monkman Pass, 1061 m , is a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies, located southwest of the coal-mining town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia...

      )
      • Murray Range
      • Pioneer Range
    • Solitude Range

Provincial parks

In addition to Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park, other parks in the Northern Rockies are:
  • North of Lake Williston:
    • Muncho Lake Provincial Park
      Muncho Lake Provincial Park
      Muncho Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located on the Alaska Highway as it transits the northernmost Canadian Rockies west of Fort Nelson. The park is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area....

    • Stone Mountain Provincial Park
      Stone Mountain Provincial Park
      The Stone Mountain Provincial Park is an area of 256.91 square kilometres of mountain wilderness in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The park is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area which includes the Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park, immediately south, and Kwadacha...

    • Kwadacha Wilderness Provincial Park
      Kwadacha Wilderness Provincial Park
      Kwadacha Wilderness Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area, which include to the north of the Kwadacha the Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park and Stone Mountain Provincial Park....

      )
  • South of Lake Williston
    • Monkman Provincial Park
      Monkman Provincial Park
      Monkman Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada south of the communities of Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd, British Columbia and northeast of Prince George.-History:...

    • Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area
      Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area
      Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area is a 170,890 ha provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. There are significant amounts of fish fossils there. The tallest mountains are Mount Sir Alexander and Mount Ida . Fishing in Kakwa Lake is permitted...

    • Close To The Edge Provincial Park and Protected Area
      Close To The Edge Provincial Park and Protected Area
      Close To The Edge Provincial Park and Protected Area is a provincial park and a protected area in British Columbia, Canada.-History and conservation:...

    • Wapiti Lake Provincial Park
      Wapiti Lake Provincial Park
      Wapiti Lake Provincial Park is a 16,837 ha provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is located 60 km south of Tumbler Ridge, at the headwaters of Wapiti River, including its watershed from the Wapiti Pass to Wapiti Lake in the Canadian Rockies. The area contains significant amounts of...

    • Bijoux Falls Provincial Park
      Bijoux Falls Provincial Park
      Bijoux Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located in the Pine Pass on BC Highway 97, on the southern approach to the summit from the town of Mackenzie.-External links:...

    • Mount Robson Provincial Park
      Mount Robson Provincial Park
      Mount Robson Provincial Park is a large provincial park in the Canadian Rockies with an area of 2,249 km². The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park in Alberta. The B.C. legislature created the park in 1913, the same year as the first ascent of Mount...

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