Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Park and Protected Area and Slim Creek Park (the parks) lie solely within the territory of the Lheidli T’enneh Nation (Lheidli T’enneh). The parks are located along the upper reaches of the Fraser River 115 km east of Prince George, and 95 km west of McBride, on Highway 16. The parks extend to the north-northeast from the height of land on Driscoll Ridge down to the Fraser River.

Established in 2000, Slim Creek Park (506 ha) was designated as a Class A Park to protect a series of wetlands, fish, and a wide diversity of plants. While there are currently no facilities located within Slim Creek Park, it is most often visited by local researchers, not the general public.

Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut Park (11,190 ha) was formally designated in 2016 as a Class A park. The protected area (772 ha) was also designated in 2016 and then further expanded in 2023. The Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whujudut complex protects a globally significant inland temperate rainforest, comprised primarily of large stature ancient western red cedars. Often called a “snow forest”, this inland rainforest remains intact due to the deep winter snowpack which sustains the groundwater springs throughout the rest of the year. The forest and wetland features provide incredible habitat for diverse vegetation communities and animals.

This management planning project was formally initiated in 2019. To begin, Lheidli T’enneh members, interested parties, park-use permit holders, long-term volunteers, and the general public were invited to share initial feedback on the parks, such as perceived challenges, key values, and potential management strategies. Feedback from the initial engagement can be reviewed on this PDF summary.

Over the next several years a draft management plan was collaboratively worked on by Lheidli T’enneh and BC Parks staff. Review the graphic below to see what has been completed and the anticipated timeline for the next steps.

There will be several opportunities for public to provide feedback on the draft plan - via a survey (coming soon!) and/or during open houses (dates to be determined - they will be listed on the right side of the page under “key dates”).

Public suggestions will be considered on many topics, including:

• Opportunities to expand accessibility
• Determining appropriate recreational activities in relation to conservation values (e.g. hiking trails, wilderness camping, etc.)
• Type of commercial use that could be considered in the parks (e.g. expanding tourism)
• Possible future development (e.g. cultural area)
• Zoning map

Due to the overarching Park Act and BC Parks policies, some aspects of the plan will be out of scope for changes, including:

• Park boundaries
• Existing Ancient Forest / Chun T'oh Whudujut boardwalk will remain
• Activities related to BC Park policies / The Park Act
  • some activities described in the allowable use table will be non-negotiable, such as drone-use needing to be authorized in advance.