- Lillooet Ranges
The Lillooet Ranges are the southeasternmost subdivision of the
Pacific Ranges of theCoast Mountains ofBritish Columbia . They are located between the drainage of theLillooet River andHarrison Lake on the west and the canyon of theFraser River on the east, and by the lowland coastal valley of that river on the south.The Lillooet Ranges are approximately 8100 square kilometres (3150 mi²) in area. The range is extremely rugged and varied in terrain, and includes some of the highest peaks in southwestern
British Columbia . The highest is Skihist Mountain, 2968 m (9738 ft), crowning theCantilever Range in the heart of the area to the west of the community of Lytton at the confluence of the Thompson andFraser River s. The northernmost subdivision of the Lillooet Ranges is theCayoosh Range , which includes the second-highest summit in the Lillooet Ranges, an unnamed 2855 m (9367 ft) peak just south ofSeton Lake and about 20km WSW of the town of Lillooet.There are a number of provincial parks and recreation areas within the boundaries of the Lillooet Ranges. The largest and most important is the
Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park , which takes in the entireStein River basin, immediately west of Lytton and east of Pemberton-Mount Currie. "The Stein" is the largest unlogged watershed in the southernCoast Mountains and, like the rest of the Lillooet Ranges, varies from coastal-type alpine in the west to desert-canyon arid on its east.There is only one highway traversing the Lillooet Ranges, Hwy 99 from Mount Currie to Lillooet, via the valley of Cayoosh Creek. North of that highway is the subarea known as the
Cayoosh Range , which contains the second-highest peak in the Lillooet Ranges, an unnamed summit just south ofSeton Lake .The main watersheds entirely within the Lillooet Ranges are those of Cayoosh Creek, the
Stein River , theNahatlatch River , and theSilver River (aka the Big Silver River). Many smaller streams, still of considerable size, are not listed here.External links
* [http://www.cayoosh.net Bridge River-Lillooet Country Archive]
* [http://bivouac.com/ArxPg.asp?ArxId=1370 Lillooet Ranges entry in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia]
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