The Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

s in the

Boreal Cordillera The Boreal Cordillera Ecozone, as defined by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone occupying most of the northern third of British Columbia and southern half of Yukon. Within it is found Kluane Nati ...

of north-central

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 ...

. They are bounded by the

Finlay River The Finlay River is a 402 km long river in north-central British Columbia flowing north and thence south from Thutade Lake in the Omineca Mountains to Williston Lake, the impounded waters of the Peace River formed by the completion of the W. ...

on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench (here filled by

Lake Williston Williston Lake is a reservoir created by the W. A. C. Bennett Dam and is located in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Geography The lake fills the basin of the upper Peace River, backing into the Rocky Mountain Trench which is whe ...

) on the east, the

Nation Lakes The Nation Lakes are a series of four lakes in the Nation River system of the Omineca Country of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from ...

on the south, and the upper reaches of the Omineca River on the west. They form a section of the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

, that, in this region, separates water drainage between the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. The lower course of the Omineca River flows through the heart of the range. To the south of the Ominecas is the

Nechako Plateau The Nechako Plateau is the northernmost subdivision of the Interior Plateau, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It spans the basin of the Nechako River and its tributaries the Stuart River and Endako ...

, to the west the

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 ...

and

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 Britis ...

, to the north the

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 Provincia ...

and the Stikine Ranges, while east across the Rocky Mountain Trench are the

Muskwa Ranges The Muskwa Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in northern British Columbia, Canada. They are part of the Northern Rockies section of the Rocky Mountains and are bounded on their west by the Rocky Mountain Trench and on their east by the R ...

. "The Omineca" or "the

Omineca Country The Omineca Country, also called the Omineca District or the Omineca, is a historical geographic region of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, roughly defined by the basin of the Omineca River but including areas to the south which allowed ...

" is the entire area plus some of the northern

adjacent to the Ominecas, where there has been more settlement and, in the past, extensive gold-mining exploration and prospecting (in the same period as the Omineca,

Fraser Canyon The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley. Colloquially, the term "Fraser ...

and

Cariboo Gold Rush The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Colony of British Columbia, which later joined the Canadian province of British Columbia. The first gold discovery was made at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by more strikes in 1859 on the Horsefly Rive ...

es, i.e. 1860s).

Sub-ranges

* Finlay Ranges ** Butler Range **

Russel Range The Russel Range is a subrange of the Finlay Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located between Finlay River and Pelly Creek in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territ ...

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 ...

** Axelgold Range ** Cariboo Heart Range **

Connelly Range The Connelly Range is a subrange of the Hogem Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located between Bear Lake and the headwaters of the Omineca River in northern British Columbia, Canada. As the Omineca is in the Arctic Ocean drainage and Bear Lake t ...

** Mitchell Range **

Sikanni Range The Sikanni Range is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, located between the Omineca and Atsika Rivers. See also * Sikanni (disambiguation) *Sekani Sekani or Tse’khene are a First Nations people ...

** Sitlika Range **

Vital Range The Vital Range is a subrange of the Hogem Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, bounded by Fall Creek, Silver Creek and Kenny Creek in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three ...

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 * Swannell Ranges ** Espee Range ** Fishing Range ** Germansen Range **

Ingenika Range The Ingenika Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located south of Ingenika River above Swannell River in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces ...

Kwanika Range The Kwanika Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, bounded by Kwanika Creek, Klawli River and Nation River in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provi ...

** Kwun Yótasi Range **

Lay Range The Lay Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located between Lay Creek and Swannell River in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three t ...

McConnell Range The McConnell Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located east of Moose Valley and west of McConnell Creek in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten pro ...

Osilinka Ranges The Osilinka Ranges are a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located between Osilinka River and Lay Creek in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and th ...

Peak Range The Peak Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located on the northwest side of the junction of Toodoggone River and Finlay River in northern British Columbia, Canada. There is also a Peak Range in Central Q ...

Tenakihi Range The Tenakihi Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located between Mesilinka River and Osilinka River in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces an ...

Tucha Range The Tucha Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located north of Ingenika River and south of Tucha Creek in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten province ...

Wolverine Range The Wolverine Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located west of Williston Lake and south of Omineca Arm in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provi ...

Wrede Range The Wrede Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located between Ingenika River and Wrede Creek in northern British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and thre ...

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 ...

Rivers

* Firesteel River *

Germansen River The Germansen River, formerly Germansen Creek, is a major south tributary of the Omenica River in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The settlement and former gold-rush centre of Germansens Landing is located at its confluence w ...

* Mosque River *

Omineca River Omineca River is a river of the North American boreal forest, in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows into the Williston Lake, and is part of the Peace River basin. It was originally a tributary of the Finlay River before the creation of ...

Toodoggone River The Toodoggone River is a tributary of the Finlay River in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, flowing east into the upper reaches of the Finlay just south of the Fishing Lakes. At the head of the Toodoggone is Metsantan Pass, which ...

References

Omineca Mountains
in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia {{Interior Mountains Omineca Country