Bonaparte Provincial Park

Bonaparte Provincial Park is an 11,811 hectare provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.^[1] It is located within the Bonaparte Plateau.^[2]

Bonaparte Provincial Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Map of British Columbia
Location	Kamloops Division Yale Land District, British Columbia, Canada
Nearest city	70 Mile House, BC
Coordinates	51°09′19″N 120°29′20″W
Area	11,833 ha. (118.33 km²)
Established	April 30, 1996
Governing body	BC Parks

History

The park was established April 30, 1996 under the Kamloops Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) through the Environment and Land Use Act.

First Nations use of the land is not well known. More recently it had been used as a ranchland by settlers and for fly-in tourism. Prior to the development of the park a moratoria had been placed on timber harvesting in the area in 1974.

Geology

The park has many small hills formed by lava flow. This has led to the over 50 small interconnected lakes located within the park.

Points of Interest

Lakes	Lava Cones (elevation)
Bare Lake - contains a wilderness lodge[3] Dagger Lake Grant Lake group Hiahkwah-Shelley Lake chain Hoopatakwa Lake Moose-Dumbell Lake chain Stadia Lake Willowgrouse Lake	Skoatl Point - 1640m[4] Bare Hill - 1574m

Geography

The park is located 55 kilometers northwest of Kamloops. Motorized vehicle access is most easily obtained via Jamieson Creek Road.

Park boundaries

The Southern boundary of the park is formed by the Hiakwah-Shelley Lake chain. To the east are tree farm license lands. To the north and west are Provincial Forest lands.

Ecology

The park contains sub-alpine forest, small lakes and wetlands at high elevation. There are no known threatened species within the park. Cattle grazing is permitted within the park.

Plants and Animals of Note

Plants	Birds	Mammals	Fish
Subalpine fir Montane spruce Engelmann spruce Lodgepole pine Fairyslipper orchids	Sandhill crane Fisher Great horned owl Osprey Ruffed grouse Spruce grouse Barrows goldeneye	Marten Moose Timber wolf Mule deer Beaver Black bear Cougar	Rainbow trout (wild and stocked) Pike minnow

Recreation

There is no access within the park to motorized vehicles though snowmobile use is permitted in the southern portion. The park can also be accessed by floatplane and there are fly in fishing lodges. Horses are also permitted. All camping and hiking in the park is in the backcountry without any regular service or parks patrol. Seasonal hunting is permitted.

See also

• Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area