Beyond the Map in The Great Wilderness:
A Deeper Connection To Land and Life

In our digitally connected and developed world, it can feel as if little mystery remains on Earth, and even fewer places where we can experience true awe—to feel that we are part of something bigger.

But there is still a place where awe is an everyday occurrence: The Great Wilderness, a vast expanse with the power to connect us to land and life on a deep and meaningful scale. Indigenous Peoples, who’ve lived here since time immemorial, gain wisdom from the beating heart of these lands and waters; their cultures pulsing with a reverence for nature and a commitment to its stewardship.

Stretching from the remote northwest corner of British Columbia on the border of Alaska and the Yukon all the way to Alberta, a journey through The Great Wilderness can take visitors east across the whole of the province, or south down the long backbone of BC’s remote Coast Mountains. It’s a bastion of immense land so large it would take a lifetime of journeys to fully explore—which is part of what makes experiences here so impactful.

South of Tatshenshini-Alsek, just off the sawtooth flanks of the Coast Range in Tahltan Nation territory, witness the staggering power of nature at Mount Edziza Provincial Park, a rust-and-bone mountain with an enormous volcanic crater some 10,000 years old. The mountain is located in the Tenh Dẕetle Conservancy, which translates to “ice mountain” in the Tahltan language.

Contrast Edziza’s starkness with the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area across the Northern Rockies, a lush land of rivers and mountains so rich in biodiversity that it’s been described as the “Serengeti of the North.” A stronghold for lynx and wolves, caribou, and bald eagles, the Muskwa-Kechika supports the largest predator-prey system on the continent.      

Touch the vastness of geologic time at Tumbler Ridge, a UNESCO Global Geopark through which the preserved tracks of dinosaurs travel river-cut valleys under glacier-draped peaks. Or wonder at the strength of gravity as 70-metre (230-feet) Kinuseo Falls—taller than Niagara Falls—splits over towering rock in a constant, roaring cascade. And then feel as if you’re defying that same gravity as you walk in the soaring heights of Mount Robson Provincial Park, the Canadian Rockies’ highest peak combing the clouds at nearly 4,000 metres (13,100 feet). 

Or travel west to Anhluut’ukwsim Lax̱mihl Angwinga’asanskwhl Nisg̱a’a (Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park), which infuses Indigenous culture and stewardship into the interpretation of natural wonders. The oral stories of the Nisg̱a’a people define the otherworldly landscape: legend has it that the volcano, which erupted around 1700 CE, exploded in anger after a group of children disrespected the life-giving salmon. This park is also the first to be managed jointly between a First Nation and BC Parks, and four surrounding Nisg̱a’a villages offer amenities to visitors. 

The Great Wilderness waits for those who want to go beyond the planned itineraries of guidebooks—those who know the most enticing opportunities for awe are often spontaneous.