The Interior Mountains or Northern Interior Mountains are the semi-official names for an expansive collection of mountain ranges that comprises much of the northern half of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

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, ...

and a large area of southern

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

. There are four main groupings, the Skeena, Cassiar and

Omineca Mountains The Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote mountain ranges in the Boreal Cordillera of north-central British Columbia, Canada. They are bounded by the Finlay River on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench (here fil ...

to the north of the

Interior Plateau The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of the Interior of British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west.''Landforms of British Co ...

between 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 ...

to the west and the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

to the east, and the

Hazelton Mountains The Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton south to the Nechako Reservoir. Defined by the British ...

along the Interior Plateau's northwestern flank against the Coast Mountains, extending from the

Bulkley Ranges The Bulkley Ranges is mountain range in northern British Columbia, Canada, located between the Skeena River, Skeena and Bulkley Rivers south of Hazelton, British Columbia, Hazelton, north of the Morice River and Zymoetz River. It has an area of 78 ...

south to the

Bella Coola River The Bella Coola River is a major river on the Pacific slope of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. The town of Bella Coola is at its mouth on North Bentinck Arm. Bella Coola Indian Reserve No. 1 the location of the main community t ...

. Included within the Interior Mountains system is the

Stikine Plateau The Stikine Plateau is a plateau in northern British Columbia, Canada. It lies between the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains on the west and southwest and the Cassiar Mountains along its northeast, and between the Skeena Mountains on its sout ...

, which contains a number of sub-plateaus and various mountain ranges and is located west of the Cassiars, north of the Skeenas, and to the east of the

Boundary Ranges The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. They begin at the Nass River, near the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle in the Canadian p ...

of the Coast Mountains. Most of the thousands of summits in the Interior Mountains are unnamed, and they are mostly uninhabited and undeveloped.

Etymology

The terms ''Interior Mountains'' and ''Northern Interior Mountains'' were coined by British Columbia government geographer Stuart Holland in the course of writing his ''Landforms of British Columbia'', which is a definitive volume on the province's topography and

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

written in 1964. This work is used as the basis for official toponymies such as those in the provincial gazette and the British Columbia Geographic Names Information System Database (BCGNIS), which is the official registry of the province's geographic names. The term Interior Mountains, used by Holland throughout his work and as a chapter heading describing the mountain system in question, is not present in the Geographical Names Database despite being a chapter heading and appearing on Holland's map of the province's landform systems. He suggests, also, the term "Northern Interior Mountains", partly because the mountain system is in a region also known as the

Northern Interior , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Interior" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivi ...

, but also to potentially distinguish this mountain system from mountain ranges farther south in the province's Interior, including those of the

. In his exegesis, he decided on "Interior Mountains" for reasons of brevity.

Component ranges and plateaus

Major mountain ranges and plateaus that are considered part of the Interior Mountains are included.

Cassiar Mountains , photo = Cassiar Highway.jpg , photo_size = 280px , photo_caption = Cassiar Mountains along Stewart-Cassiar Highway near Good Hope Lake , country = Canada , subdivision1_type = Provinces , subdivision1 ...

Dease Plateau The Dease Plateau is a sub-plateau of the larger Yukon Plateau, and is located in far northern British Columbia, Canada, northwest from the Deadwood River to and beyond the Yukon-British Columbia boundary. The plateau is named in association with ...

Kechika Ranges The Kechika Ranges are a subrange of the Cassiar Mountains subdivision of the Interior Mountains in far northern British Columbia, Canada, lying west of the Rocky Mountain Trench between the Rainbow (S) and Deadwood Rivers (N). See also *Kechika R ...

Sifton Ranges The Sifton Ranges are a mountain range along the west side of the Rocky Mountain Trench in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 1823 km2 and is a subrange of the Cassiar Mountains which in turn form part of the Interior Moun ...

Stikine Ranges The Stikine Ranges are a group of mountain ranges and mountainous plateaus in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. They are the northernmost subdivision of the Cassiar Mountains and among the least explored and most undeveloped parts of the pro ...

Hazelton Mountains The Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton south to the Nechako Reservoir. Defined by the British ...

Kispiox Range The Kispiox Range is a subrange of the Hazelton Mountains, located between the Kispiox and Kitwanga Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from t ...

Nass Ranges The Nass Ranges are a mountain range north of the Skeena River, west of Hazelton, and northeast of Terrace, British Columbia, Canada. It is associated with the Hazelton Mountains, which in turn form part of the Interior Mountains.Pattullo Range The Pattullo Range is a subrange of the Hazelton Mountains, located south of Tesla Lake and northeast of Bella Coola in northern British Columbia, Canada. Its highest summit is Tsaydaychuz Peak, 2758 m (9049 feet). Name origin The range was ...

Tahtsa Ranges The Tahtsa Ranges are a mountain range in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 7531 km2 and is a subrange of the Hazelton Mountains which in turn form part of the Interior Mountains.

Omineca Mountains The Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote mountain ranges in the Boreal Cordillera of north-central British Columbia, Canada. They are bounded by the Finlay River on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench (here fil ...

Finlay Ranges The Finlay Ranges are a mountain range in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 4818 km2 and is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains which in turn form part of the Interior Mountains.Hogem Ranges The Hogem Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in the northwest part of the Omineca Country of the North-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located between Takla Lake (W) and the Omineca River (E) and from the Nation Lakes (SE) to the ...

Metsantan Range The Metsantan Range are a mountain range between the upper Stikine and the Finlay River drainages in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 1116 km2 and is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains which in turn form part of the Int ...

Samuel Black Range The Samuel Black Range is a mountain range in the angle of the upper Toodoggone and the Finlay Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 808 km2 and is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains which in turn form part of the ...

Swannell Ranges The Swannell Ranges are a mountain range between the Finlay and Nation Rivers and between the Hogem Ranges and the Finlay Ranges of northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 22932 km2 and is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains w ...

Tatlatui Range The Tatlatui Range is a large and very alpine mountain range on the east flank of the upper Skeena River in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 2307 km2 and is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains which in turn form part of th ...

Skeena Mountains The Skeena Mountains, also known as the Skeenas, are a subrange of the Interior Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada, essentially flanking the upper basin of the Skeena River. They lie just inland from the southern end of the Boundary ...

Atna Range The Atna Range is a small subrange of the Skeena Mountains of the Interior Mountains, located in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic O ...

Babine Range The Babine Range is a small subrange of the Skeena Mountains of the Interior Mountains, located between Babine Lake, Babine River, Bulkey River and Skeena River in northern British Columbia, Canada. Mountains Mountains within the Babine Range in ...

* Bait Range * Driftwood Range *

Klappan Range The Klappan Range is a small subrange of the Skeena Mountains of the Interior Mountains, located between Klappan River and Iskut River in northern British Columbia, Canada. Mountains Mountains within the Klappan Range include: * Todagin Mountain ...

* Oweegee Range * Sicintine Range * Slamgeesh Range * Strata Range * Takla Range

Stikine Plateau The Stikine Plateau is a plateau in northern British Columbia, Canada. It lies between the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains on the west and southwest and the Cassiar Mountains along its northeast, and between the Skeena Mountains on its sout ...

Kawdy Plateau The Kawdy Plateau is a plateau in northern British Columbia, Canada, located between the Nahlin and Tuya Rivers. It includes the granitic Atsutla Range and Nazcha Hills and the volcanic Kawdy Mountain Kawdy Mountain is a subglacial mound on t ...

Nahlin Plateau The Nahlin Plateau is a plateau in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located between the Sheslay River and Tuya River on the west and east and the Nahlin River and the Stikine River to the north and south. It is a subplateau of the Stikine Pl ...

Spatsizi Plateau The Spatsizi Plateau is a plateau in the upper basin of the Stikine River in north-central British Columbia, Canada. Most of the plateau, which is a sub-plateau of the Stikine Plateau, is enshrined in either Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial ...

Tagish Highland The Tagish Highland is an upland area on the inland side of the northernmost Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains, spanning far northwestern British Columbia from Atlin Lake to the area of the pass at Champagne, Yukon between the Alsek and Yuko ...

(NB sometimes defined as part of the

) *

Tahltan Highland The Tahltan Highland is an upland area of plateau and relatively lower mountain ranges in British Columbia, Canada, lying east of the Boundary Ranges and south of the Inklin River (the east fork of the Taku River). Its eastern boundary is formed by ...

(NB sometimes defined as part of the

) *

Taku Plateau The Taku Plateau is a sub-plateau of the Stikine Plateau in the far northwestern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It lies to the south of the Teslin Plateau, part of the Yukon Plateau and to the southeast of the Yukon Plateau's other major su ...

(NB sometimes defined as part of the

Yukon Plateau The Yukon Plateau is a plateau (also defined as a plain) located in the Yukon Territory, comprising much of the central and southern Yukon Territory and the far northern part of British Columbia, Canada between Tagish Lake (W) and the Cassiar Moun ...

) *

Tanzilla Plateau The Tanzilla Plateau is a plateau in the Stikine Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is a sub-plateau of the Stikine Plateau and is located east of the Tuya River, north of the Stikine River and surrounding Dease Lak ...

Parks and protected areas

Boya Lake Provincial Park Boya may refer to: *Boya, Western Australia *Boya, Nepal *Boya people, an ethnic group in Sudan *Boyar caste, Boyar caste of India *Mireia Boya Busquet (born 1979), Spanish scientist and politician *Pierre Boya (born 1984), Cameroonian footballer * ...

Dall River Old Growth Provincial Park Dall River Old Growth Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area and is located immediately northwest of Denetiah Provincial Park, northwest of the junction of the Ga ...

Denetiah Provincial Park Denetiah Provincial Park and Protected Area is a provincial park and protected area located in the northern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It was established on June 29, 1999 to protect a large area of pristine wilderness at the headwaters ...

Dune Za Keyih Provincial Park and Protected Area Dune Za Keyih Provincial Park and Protected Area, also known as the Frog-Gataga Provincial Park, is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area and is located in the area of the Gataga Riv ...

Horneline Creek Provincial Park Horneline Creek Provincial Park is a provincial park in far northern British Columbia, Canada. It is located west of the Kechika River about 130 km south of Lower Post and 30 km north of Denetiah Provincial Park and southwest of the co ...

Hyland River Provincial Park Hyland River Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located near the boundary with Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's t ...

Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located at the south end of Kinaskan Lake along the Stewart-Cassiar Highway near Mowdade Lake and southeast of Mount Edziza. At the south end of the park, the Iskut ...

* Mount Edziza Provincial Park and Recreation Area *

Rainbow Alley Provincial Park Rainbow Alley Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, 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 ...

Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, protecting most of the Spatsizi Plateau, the southeasternmost subplateau of the Stikine Plateau, and the upper reaches of the basin of the Stikine River. ...

Stikine River Provincial Park The Stikine River Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia. The park covers a total area of approximately 217,000 hectares. The main feature of the Stikine River Provincial Park is a portion of the Stikine River known as "The Grand ...

* Todagin South Slope Provincial Park *

Tuya Mountains Provincial Park Tuya Mountains Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, protecting the Tuya Range, a volcanic region at the head of the Tuya River. The park is located on the north side of Tuya Lake. The park is named for nearby Tuya ...

Proposed protected areas

Sacred Headwaters The Sacred Headwaters is a large subalpine drainage basin centred around Klappan Mountain of the Klappan Range in northern British Columbia. It is the source of three wild salmon rivers: the Skeena River, Nass River, and Stikine River. It is also ...

References

*S. Holland, ''Landforms of British Columbia'', Province of British Columbia, 1976 {{Interior Mountains Northern Interior of British Columbia Mountain ranges of British Columbia Mountain ranges of Yukon