The Chehalis River is located in the southwest corner of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada near the city of

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

. It flows south-eastward out of the

Douglas Ranges The Douglas Ranges are a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of the Canadian province of British Columbia, about east of downtown Vancouver, north of the Fraser River and between the valleys of Stave and Harrison Lakes. They ...

of the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia ...

, draining into the

Harrison River The Harrison River is a short but large tributary of the Fraser River, entering it near the community of Chehalis, British Columbia, Canada. The Harrison drains Harrison Lake and is the ''de facto'' continuation of the Lillooet River, which feeds ...

. Though the river's valley is heavily logged—earlier in the 20th century the area was covered by a dense network of logging railways—the river itself flows through a small canyon before a short relatively flat stretch leading to its confluence with the Harrison. The Chehalis is a fishing stream and, together with its tributaries such as Statlu Creek, offers opportunities for class III and IV

whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an adventure sport where a river is navigated in a decked kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles. River running; where the paddler follows a river and paddles rapids as they travel. Creeking usually involving s ...

. The Chehalis River starts in the mountains above and just west of Statlu Lake, which it soon flows into. Shortly after exiting the lake, it drops over impressive Statlu Falls, which is difficult to view without putting yourself in real danger.Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest: Statlu Falls
/ref> People have died when they have slipped and fallen over the falls. After the falls, the river turns south, eventually flowing into

Chehalis Lake Chehalis Lake is a lake on the Chehalis River (British Columbia), Chehalis River in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake and the river share the name with the community of Chehalis, British Columbia, which is the ...

. After it exits the lake it continues its journey south to the Harrison River. The river's canyon and the peaks and cliff-faces of the range encircling its basin, which comprises most of the area of the

, is popular with rock-climbers and hikers, who call the area "the Chehalis". There is a small ski resort, Hemlock Valley, on the eastern side of the Chehalis River basin. A road penetrates the northeast rim of the range into the

Harrison Lake Harrison Lake is the largest lake in the southern Coast Mountains of Canada, being about 250 square kilometres (95 mi²) in area. It is about 60 km (37 mi) in length and at its widest almost 9 km (5.6 mi) across. Its so ...

basin and on to historic

Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...

, at the head of that lake, and beyond up the

Lillooet River The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of W ...

via

Skookumchuck Hot Springs :''This page is about natural hot spring near the First Nations community of Skatin 50 kilometres south of Pemberton Pemberton, British Columbia. For the town and associated rapids in the East Kootenay see Skookumchuck, British Columbia; for t ...

to Pemberton– Mount Currie. This road, to be named the

Sasquatch Highway Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

was proposed to be paved before the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

to connect Hwy 7 (

Lougheed Highway Lougheed is an Irish variant of a surname of Scottish origins, meaning ''head of the lake''. Lougheed or Loughead may refer to: Places * Lougheed, Alberta, a Canadian village * Lougheed Island, Nunavut, Canada * Lougheed Highway, part of British ...

) at the community of

Chehalis Chehalis may refer to: People * Chehalis people, a Native American people of Washington state **Lower Chehalis language **Upper Chehalis language * Sts'Ailes people (Chehalis people), a First Nation in British Columbia * Chehalis First Nation, Bri ...

with Hwy 99 (the

Sea-to-Sky Highway Highway 99 is a provincial highway in British Columbia that serves Greater Vancouver and the Squamish–Lillooet corridor over a length of . It is a major north–south artery within Vancouver and connects the city to several suburbs as well ...

) at Mount Currie.

References

{{Reflist Canyons and gorges of British Columbia Rivers of the Pacific Ranges Rivers of the Lower Mainland Tributaries of the Fraser River New Westminster Land District

See also

References