Clear Range
Encyclopedia
The Clear Range is a small mountain range
located in the angle of the Fraser
and Thompson River
s in south-central British Columbia
. It has a small subdivision just northeast of that confluence named the Scarped Range. The Clear Range totals 16,270 km² (6,280 mi²) and is 75 km (47 mi) north to south and 35 km (22 mi) east to west (at its widest point). The Clear Range and its norhtward neighbour the Marble Range
are both subranges of the Pavilion Range.
It and the neighbouring Marble Range
line the east bank of the Fraser River
north of the town of Lytton, British Columbia
. The Clear Range extends as far as the town of Pavilion
and is bounded by the south wall of Marble Canyon
on the north. The southeast flank of the Clear Range is the Thompson River
between Ashcroft and Lytton
, while to its northeast are the Cornwall and Trachyte Hills
, and beyond them the Arrowstone Hills of the Bonaparte Plateau
. The range is horseshoe-shaped, facing the high rangeland-plateau basin of Hat Creek
, which drains northeast to join the Bonaparte River
, a tributary of the Thompson
. All of these areas, including the Clear Range, are classified by geographers as belonging to the Fraser Plateau, which is part of the Interior Plateau
.
, where the northerly peaks are a high plateau-edge almost 2000 m (7000 ft) above the river below. The core of the range is rugged and has a complex series of interlocking valleys. Karst
formations throughout the area suggest caves, though none has been discovered, and there are scores of intermittent waterfalls and sub-alpine swamps. The northern edge of the Clear Range is the south wall of Marble Canyon
.
The highest summits are Blustry Mountain, 2334 m (7657 ft); its neighbor Cairn Peak 2328 m (7638 ft); and north of them, Moore Peak, 2223 m (7293 ft); and Chipuin Mountain, 2170 m (7119 ft). The highest peak in the southern part of the range is Botanie Mountain (bu-TAN-ee), just north of Lytton
2077 m (6814 ft), but higher in the centre of the range is Mount Murray 2153 m (7064 ft). A separate ridge across the Fraser River
from Lillooet
is named Fountain Ridge. It is geologically distinct, actually a sliver of plate between the Fraser and Yalakom Faults.
Typical boreal forest and mountain wildlife prevail: grizzly bear
, black bear
, black-tail deer, moose
, and various rodents. The range's reptile populations include several varieties of dryland lizard
and also the timber rattlesnake
; the Clear Range is the farthest northwest extent of the rattlesnake.
, although the northwest edge of the range is occupied by communities of the St'at'imc First Nation
and a rancherie of the Bonaparte River
band of the Shuswap Nation
at Marble Canyon
. There are no urban settlements or towns in the range although it is skirted by three major highways and also three rail lines (the BCR, CPR
and CNR
).
Due to its location, it overlooked the great movement of goldseekers during the Fraser Canyon
and Cariboo Gold Rush
es although no major mines or deposits were found on its slopes. At its northern extremity there is a large deposit of low-grade lignite, adjacent to Marble Canyon
on the northwestern edge of the Hat Creek
basin that has long been proposed for a major open-pit coal mine and coal-powered generating plant.
The area is heavily logged but thereby interlaced with logging roads and other trails popular with 4x4 recreationists, mountain bikers and others.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
located in the angle of the Fraser
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
and Thompson River
Thompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...
s in south-central British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It has a small subdivision just northeast of that confluence named the Scarped Range. The Clear Range totals 16,270 km² (6,280 mi²) and is 75 km (47 mi) north to south and 35 km (22 mi) east to west (at its widest point). The Clear Range and its norhtward neighbour the Marble Range
Marble Range
The Marble Range is a small mountain range adjoining the Fraser River on the southwestern edge of the Cariboo Plateau of British Columbia. It has an area of 1,250 square kilometres and about 65 km NNW to SSE and about 20 km wide...
are both subranges of the Pavilion Range.
It and the neighbouring Marble Range
Marble Range
The Marble Range is a small mountain range adjoining the Fraser River on the southwestern edge of the Cariboo Plateau of British Columbia. It has an area of 1,250 square kilometres and about 65 km NNW to SSE and about 20 km wide...
line the east bank of the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
north of the town of Lytton, British Columbia
Lytton, British Columbia
Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser. The location has been inhabited by the Nlaka'pamux people for over 10,000 years, and is one of the earliest locations settled by non-natives in the Southern Interior of...
. The Clear Range extends as far as the town of Pavilion
Pavilion, British Columbia
Pavilion is a ranching and Indian Reserve community in the Fraser Canyon area of British Columbia, Canada. Most of the community is the population of the Pavilion 1 Indian Reserve of the Pavilion Indian Band, aka the Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation but there are also a number of ranches in the...
and is bounded by the south wall of Marble Canyon
Marble Canyon
Marble Canyon is the section of the Colorado River canyon in northern Arizona from Lee's Ferry to the confluence with the Little Colorado River, which marks the beginning of the Grand Canyon....
on the north. The southeast flank of the Clear Range is the Thompson River
Thompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...
between Ashcroft and Lytton
Lytton, British Columbia
Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser. The location has been inhabited by the Nlaka'pamux people for over 10,000 years, and is one of the earliest locations settled by non-natives in the Southern Interior of...
, while to its northeast are the Cornwall and Trachyte Hills
Trachyte Hills
The Trachyte Hills are a remote mountain range in southern British Columbia, Canada, located southwest of junction of Bonaparte River and Hat Creek.-References:* in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia...
, and beyond them the Arrowstone Hills of the Bonaparte Plateau
Bonaparte Plateau
The Bonaparte Plateau, in British Columbia, Canada, is a subarea of the larger Cariboo Plateau which extends to the Quesnel River and lies between the Cariboo Mountains on the east and the Fraser River on the west. The Cariboo Plateau is a subarea of the Interior Plateau, aka the Fraser Plateau...
. The range is horseshoe-shaped, facing the high rangeland-plateau basin of Hat Creek
Hat Creek (British Columbia)
Hat Creek is a tributary of the Bonaparte River in British Columbia, Canada, joining that stream at Carquile, which is also known as Lower Hat Creek and is the site of the Hat Creek Ranch heritage museum and visitor centre...
, which drains northeast to join the Bonaparte River
Bonaparte River
The Bonaparte River is a tributary of the Thompson River, joining it at the community of Ashcroft, British Columbia. The river is about long, including the length of Bonaparte Lake...
, a tributary of the Thompson
Thompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...
. All of these areas, including the Clear Range, are classified by geographers as belonging to the Fraser Plateau, which is part of the Interior Plateau
Interior Plateau
The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of central British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west. The continuation of the plateau into the United States is known there as the...
.
Terrain
The outer flanks of the range are steep, particularly on the side of the FraserFraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
, where the northerly peaks are a high plateau-edge almost 2000 m (7000 ft) above the river below. The core of the range is rugged and has a complex series of interlocking valleys. Karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
formations throughout the area suggest caves, though none has been discovered, and there are scores of intermittent waterfalls and sub-alpine swamps. The northern edge of the Clear Range is the south wall of Marble Canyon
Marble Canyon (British Columbia)
Marble Canyon is a small canyon in the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada a few kilometres east of the Fraser River and the community of Pavilion, British Columbia, approximately midway between the towns of Lillooet and Cache Creek. A collapsed karst formation, the canyon's name...
.
The highest summits are Blustry Mountain, 2334 m (7657 ft); its neighbor Cairn Peak 2328 m (7638 ft); and north of them, Moore Peak, 2223 m (7293 ft); and Chipuin Mountain, 2170 m (7119 ft). The highest peak in the southern part of the range is Botanie Mountain (bu-TAN-ee), just north of Lytton
Lytton, British Columbia
Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser. The location has been inhabited by the Nlaka'pamux people for over 10,000 years, and is one of the earliest locations settled by non-natives in the Southern Interior of...
2077 m (6814 ft), but higher in the centre of the range is Mount Murray 2153 m (7064 ft). A separate ridge across the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
from Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
is named Fountain Ridge. It is geologically distinct, actually a sliver of plate between the Fraser and Yalakom Faults.
Flora and fauna
The climate is varied, though mostly dry, especially on the west and southeast. The interior of the range gets more waterfall and is heavily-treed relative to the canyons flanking itTypical boreal forest and mountain wildlife prevail: grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
, black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, black-tail deer, moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, and various rodents. The range's reptile populations include several varieties of dryland lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
and also the timber rattlesnake
Crotalus oreganus
Crotalus oreganus is a venomous pitviper species found in North America in the western United States, parts of British Columbia and northwestern Mexico. Seven subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here....
; the Clear Range is the farthest northwest extent of the rattlesnake.
History and culture
The Clear Range is largely the domain of the Thompson First Nation or Nlaka'pamuxNlaka'pamux
The Nlaka'pamux , commonly called "the Thompson", and also Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people) are an indigenous First Nations/Native American people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia...
, although the northwest edge of the range is occupied by communities of the St'at'imc First Nation
St'at'imc
The St'át'imc are an Interior Salish people located in the southern Coast Mountains and Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia.St'át'imc culture displayed many features typical of Northwest Coast peoples: the...
and a rancherie of the Bonaparte River
Bonaparte River
The Bonaparte River is a tributary of the Thompson River, joining it at the community of Ashcroft, British Columbia. The river is about long, including the length of Bonaparte Lake...
band of the Shuswap Nation
Secwepemc
The Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
at Marble Canyon
Marble Canyon
Marble Canyon is the section of the Colorado River canyon in northern Arizona from Lee's Ferry to the confluence with the Little Colorado River, which marks the beginning of the Grand Canyon....
. There are no urban settlements or towns in the range although it is skirted by three major highways and also three rail lines (the BCR, CPR
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and CNR
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
).
Due to its location, it overlooked the great movement of goldseekers during the Fraser Canyon
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...
and Cariboo Gold Rush
Cariboo Gold Rush
The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...
es although no major mines or deposits were found on its slopes. At its northern extremity there is a large deposit of low-grade lignite, adjacent to Marble Canyon
Marble Canyon (British Columbia)
Marble Canyon is a small canyon in the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada a few kilometres east of the Fraser River and the community of Pavilion, British Columbia, approximately midway between the towns of Lillooet and Cache Creek. A collapsed karst formation, the canyon's name...
on the northwestern edge of the Hat Creek
Hat Creek (British Columbia)
Hat Creek is a tributary of the Bonaparte River in British Columbia, Canada, joining that stream at Carquile, which is also known as Lower Hat Creek and is the site of the Hat Creek Ranch heritage museum and visitor centre...
basin that has long been proposed for a major open-pit coal mine and coal-powered generating plant.
The area is heavily logged but thereby interlaced with logging roads and other trails popular with 4x4 recreationists, mountain bikers and others.