Battle Mountain is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located in the south-east region of
Wells Gray Provincial Park
Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,250 square kilometres (524,990 hectares or ...
. The
Clearwater River flows to the west, Stevens Lakes are to the east, Philip Creek is to the south and Hemp Creek is to the north. Battle Mountain is part of the
Shuswap Highland
The Shuswap Highland is a plateau-like hilly area of in British Columbia, Canada. It spans the upland area between the Bonaparte and Thompson Plateaus from the area of Mahood Lake, at the southeast corner of the Cariboo Plateau, southeast towards ...
. There are three summits in the group, ranging from to .
[Neave, Roland (2023). ''Exploring Wells Gray Park'', 7th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. .]
Battle Mountain is accessible by a combination of road and trail. It is a popular summer tourist attraction and is especially noted for colourful alpine meadows. The access trail is longer and more strenuous than the one to nearby
Trophy Mountain
Trophy Mountain (locally called Trophy Mountains or The Trophies) is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located in the south-east region of Wells Gray Provincial Park. The Clearwater River flows to the west, Raft River to the eas ...
to the south, so fewer people visit Battle Mountain and the Caribou Meadows. The hike to the meadows can be accomplished as a day outing, but hikers who want to attain
Fiftytwo Ridge
Fiftytwo Ridge is a mountain ridge in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located just southwest of Battle Mountain at the southeastern end of Wells Gray Provincial Park.
Geology
Fiftytwo Ridge is a volcanic feature associated with the Wells ...
and Battle Mountain summit should plan for two days and carry overnight equipment.
Access
Battle Mountain Road turns east off Clearwater Valley Road (also called Wells Gray Park Road) north of the
Yellowhead Highway
The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...
. The gravel road is passable for all vehicles for the first , then it becomes steep and rough; so that a high-clearance vehicle is necessary for the next to the parking lot.
A well-used trail starts here. The first section is the steepest and climbs in up the canyon of Philip Creek to a hanging valley where Philip Lake is located. Then it continues at an easier grade, ascending to the beginning of the Caribou Meadows. The trail meanders through the meadows, along the west shore of Fight Lake, then climbs to the top of Fiftytwo Ridge. Beyond there, it is a hiking route through meadows and rock which first descends into Bull Valley, then climbs onto Battle Mountain itself. The hiking season on Battle Mountain is from late June through September.
Origin of names
*Battle Mountain: The names "Battle Mountain", "Battle Creek", "Fight Lake" and "Indian Valley" all arise from a legendary First Nations skirmish between the
Chilcotin and
Shuswap bands around 1875. In the mid-nineteenth century, great herds of
caribou migrated each spring through the Clearwater Valley in an east-west direction. The Chilcotin First Nation dominated most of the migration route, except for the Battle Mountain area where the
Canim Lake band
The Canim Lake Band (Shuswap language: Tsq'escen') is a First Nations government of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation, located in the Central Interior region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its main Indian reserve is located at Can ...
and the Shuswap band at Chu Chua hunted. At some of the small lakes in Indian Valley, the Chilcotins built long wire and stone fences leading to a narrow opening on the lakeshore. The caribou were then chased through the V-shaped traps into the water and speared as they swam to shore. The Canim and Simpcw bands recently suggested the incident was more of skirmish between two small bands of hunters with one group feeling that the other shouldn’t be there and chasing them. They dismissed the common belief that this was a “battle,” so the story seems to have been exaggerated over 1½ centuries and these place names may not be appropriate.
*Fiftytwo Ridge: Named because a biological study by Pat Martin and Ralph Ritcey was conducted there in 1952.
*Philip Creek: Named for Clearwater Valley land-owners William and Ella Philip.
*Mount Philip: Although near the head of Philip Creek, it was named for Mr. C. Philips, an assistant on Robert Lee's 1914 land survey of the Clearwater Valley and Murtle Plateau.
*Stevens Lakes: This chain of six lakes along Snookwa Creek is east of Battle Mountain and near the treeline. The lakes are named for Whitney W. "Pat" Stevens of the British Columbia Forest Service who conducted a forest reconnaissance survey in the Clearwater Valley in 1921. He was 22 that summer, a graduate of the University of New Brunswick, and spent most of his life in forestry work. He died in 1960.
References
External links
*{{cite bcgnis, 12486, Battle Mountain
Wells Gray Provincial Park official government website Info and reservations for Fight Meadows Chalet
Two-thousanders of British Columbia
Wells Gray-Clearwater