Trail Information
Murray Canyon Overlook
An easy hike to spectacular canyon views.
An easy hike to spectacular canyon views.
Geological Summary
Much of the landscape has been sculpted by the effects of ice. You are walking on glacial till, and in occasional places where the trail is sandy, this sand was deposited by wind at the edge of the glacier. In the Pleistocene Era, a massive ice sheet spread southwest across the prairies, with its great terminal wall just east of this area. In these ice ages, ice also advanced northeast from the Rockies in enormous quantities.
As the climate warmed, massive amounts of melt-water rushed through this area, and became impounded against the great ice wall to form Glacial Lake Peace. Mammoth, camel, bison and horse lived along its shores. The levels of this lake fluctuated repeatedly.
As you hike the trail, heading upstream along the rim of the valley, there are many views of the succession of flat terraces across the valley. The uppermost terrace is lacustrine, related to the shore of Glacial Lake Peace. The lower terraces are fluvial, corresponding to a series of floodplains which the river has cut through over time.
Away from the canyon sections, sand and gravel are deposited on the inside of each bend, while on the other side the river erodes the rock cliffs. The view at the turnaround point, looking downstream down the valley, shows Mount Puggins in the distance, and two deeply cut side canyons on the far bank. Just across the valley the bluffs above the river show a number of wet areas. In winter these form a dozen icefalls. To the left of these bluffs springs have completely undermined the caprock, producing a highly dissected topography that contrasts with adjacent flat terrace surfaces. The hilly summit across the valley is Mt Bennett, with Mt Bergeron further to the left, and the foothills and the peaks of the Rockies visible in the distance.
The slopes that the trail crosses are south-facing, fairly steep and exposed to the full force of the prevailing southwesterly winds, and are therefore warmer and drier than surrounding areas. This creates open vegetation interspersed with groves of aspen. In summer these open slopes produce a wealth of wild flowers. Butterflies defy the often windy conditions. A museum exhibit of a regional butterfly collection by biologists for Louisiana Pacific is on display in the Tumbler Ridge Community Centre. Many of the rare species were collected from these slopes.
Runners enjoying the trail on the open slope
Aspen on the south facing slope in fall
The often windy conditions also explain the wind turbines, visible in the distance, of Capital Power’s Quality Wind Project. This was one of the first wind energy projects developed in British Columbia.
Quality Wind Project looking towards Tumbler Ridge
The same conditions that make for excellent open trail-walking today, with extensive views, would have appealed to First Nations who inhabited the area over the last 10,000 years. Archaeologists have discovered stone artifacts close to the trail in two locations, suggesting that humans have travelled these well-worn game trails in the distant past as well as today. Rock overhangs nearer river level may have provided welcome shelter close to the abundant resources of the river below and game rich slopes above.
Birdlife is intriguing, with raptor sightings possible, and the excitement of knowing that the great Golden Eagle migration occurs above these ridges each spring and fall. The magnitude of this long-distance migration was first documented by Peter Sherrington in 1992. The birds of the forest are quite different from those of the open slopes.
The flow rate of the Murray River varies significantly, with a mean of 56 cubic metres per second, dwindling to ten in February, rising to 193 cubic metres in spring run-off, and with a maximum flood record of 872 cubic metres in 1990.
The river rises in the Hart Ranges of the Rocky Mountains at the Bulley Glacier, over 2600 m above sea level. It is a three day wilderness canoe trip from Tumbler Ridge down to the next bridge. It is inspiring to contemplate that in their 3500 km journey to the Arctic Ocean near Inuvik via the Mackenzie River, these waters do not cross any man-made obstacles, but instead just encounter a few river-wide ledges downstream, the Vermilion Chutes on the Peace River, and the Slave Rapids near Great Slave Lake. There are very few rivers left in North America that are as untouched. The Murray River is a resource to cherish.
For more information, please contact the Tumbler Ridge Visitor Information Centre at 250-242-3123
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