Nicolum River Provincial Park, formerly Nicolum Provincial Park, is a

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to t ...

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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, located at the confluence of the Nicolum and

Coquihalla River The Coquihalla River (originally or more recently and popularly ) is a tributary of the Fraser River in the Cascade Mountains of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates in the Coquihalla Lakes and empties into the Fraser River ...

s near the town of Hope. The park is a Class A, category 6 Provincial Park.

History

Prior to the establishment of the park, it was explored in 1846 by

Alexander Caulfield Anderson Alexander Caulfield Anderson (10 March 1814 – 8 May 1884) was a British Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) fur-trader, explorer of British Columbia and civil servant. Anderson joined HBC in 1831 and emigrated to Canada from Europe. He was placed ...

of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

. Later on, the

Dewdney Trail The Dewdney Trail is a trail in British Columbia, Canada that served as a major thoroughfare in mid-19th century British Columbia. The trail was a critical factor in the development and strengthening of the newly established British colony of Bri ...

passed just beyond the current boundary of the park. The 24-hectare Nicolum River Provincial Park was established on March 16, 1956 as a rest stop along the recently opened

Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A. International * Asian Highway 3 * Europea ...

, and was developed into a campground with 9 campsites. Vehicular access to the provincial park and campground was ended in the 2000s. The park is still open to the public, but camping is forbidden. The day use parking lot has been closed.

Facilities

BC Parks no longer maintains Nicolum River Provincial Park, and therefore no facilities are open for public use at the park. All washrooms are closed and removed. Parking is available outside the main gate along Highway 3.

References

Lower Mainland Provincial parks of British Columbia Canadian Cascades 1956 establishments in British Columbia Protected areas established in 1956 {{BritishColumbia-park-stub