Norrish Creek is a tributary of the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

. It is located in 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 ...

, the southernmost subrange of the

Pacific Ranges , photo = Mount Garibaldi (50997016501).jpg , photo_size = 280px , photo_caption = Mount Garibaldi massif as seen from Squamish , map = , map_image = South BC-NW USA-relief PacificRanges.png , m ...

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 ...

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 ...

to the north of Nicomen Island. Local residents refer to it as "Suicide Creek." It was named after William Henry Norrish a pioneer Scottish Canadian farmer.

Course

Norrish Creek has its source in Dickson Lake, a medium-sized, seldom visited reservoir at the bases of Mount Wardrop and Catherwood. The

creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

flows alongside Norrish Creek FSR down from its source for much of its length. Its mouth is near Dewdney, which is east of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in the

Lower Fraser Valley The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the ...

. Norrish Creek is fed by many feeder streams along the way. The creek actually flows into the Nicomen Slough, which is a major slough off the Fraser.

West Norrish Creek

Norrish Creek's west fork has its source in small Sonny Lake. It flows east from the lake and meets with the mainstream just below the outlet of Dickson Lake.

Recreation

Norrish Creek has small pools for swimming in the lower portion. These are accessible without a vehicle. The creek has a water treatment plant located at around the mark.

Accessibility

The mountain ranges along the Lower Fraser Valley experience intense rainfall and heavy snow during the winter. In the winter of 2006–07, 20-to-50-year storms hammered the mainline. Washouts occurred at many locations. The road was initially built to log the valley about 50 years prior to this. Many of the bridges and culverts were deemed unsafe to cross. In 2007 and 2008, the road and many creek crossings were surveyed. Many old wood structures were replaced with CSP's and concrete/ steel composite bridges. The engineering was done by Matt P. Crawford, Civil Engineer Technologist, and Lee Deslauriers, P. Eng, RPF. Construction of the new structures was completed by Brad Beaton. The forest service road along Norrish Creek is gated and inaccessible to the public. However, during the day, the gates are open for workers and the public can access the road. The area is used by

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

s (ATV)s and hunters.

References

External links