Spipiyus Provincial Park, on the Sechelt Peninsula of the BC Sunshine Coast, is documented as the oldest closed-canopy temperate rain forest in Canada. The park protects pockets of old-growth Douglas-fir stands, and contains groves of the oldest living Yellow Cedars, Mountain and Western Hemlocks in the world. Most of the ecologically isolated park extends from about 700 metres to 1,200 metres above sea level.
Also known as the Caren Range Old-Growth Forest, the 2,979-hectare Spipiyus park also protects prime habitat for the Marbled Murrelet, which was found breeding close to the many lakes and in the ancient forests of the Caren Range above Pender Harbour.
Spipiyus is the local Sechelt Indian Band’s name for the Marbled Murrelet, after which nearby Spipiyus Point and Spipiyus Peak are named. The Sechelt Band and the Friends of Caren Range are co-stewards of the park.
Wildlife in Spipiyus Park includes black bear, Roosevelt elk, cougar, bobcat, black tailed deer, snowshoe hares, and river otters, and birdlife includes marbled murrelets, Mew gulls, and Barrows goldeneyes. Bald eagles, ospreys and belted Kingfishers can be seen regularly around the upland lakes.
There are a number of deactivated logging roads suitable for hiking and walking, and hiking trails lead to Mount Hallowell, with views of the islands and fjords of Pender Harbour, the Strait of Georgia, and Vancouver Island. An excellent viewpoint is provided by a restored fire tower on Mt. Hallowell that is one of the last remaining fire lookouts in British Columbia.
There are no day-use or picnic facilities in the park, and motorized access (vehicles, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, etc) is only permitted on the existing logging roads.
Spipiyus Provincial Park is located on the Sechelt Peninsula the BC Sunshine Coast, north of Halfmoon Bay. Access to the park is off Highway 101, 11 kilometres north of Sechelt and just south of Halfmoon Bay. Turn north on Trout Lake Road and proceed up this logging road to the main junction at kilometre 12. Take the left fork, continue to kilometre 19.5, and park at the trailhead.
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