Mt Robson PP

[melvin in calgary]

I'll be spending June 25th - July 3rd in Mount Robson Provincal

Park. I've done some looking around and the only things I can find

about the park is writeups about the Berg Trail and some birding get

together. Surely in 217,000+ hectares there must be something else

recommended.<P>

Anyone know any details about the birding get together? All I've

been able to find out is that it happens in June.<P>

I'm interested in landscapes and wildlife photography (and night time

industrial photography which I hope is not available :] ) Any

suggestions will be appreciated.

[clarke_ross]

I've only been to Mt. Robson PP once and that was several years ago in early June. My wife and I were touring Jasper, Yahoo, etc. so most of what we saw was from the car. You should see moose, elk, black bear, and maybe coyote, etc. Goats and sheep are also a good possibility, especially if you are backpacking. I don't remember seeing many industrial facilities... however keep your eyes on the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks. At least during the period I was there, the bears liked to sit on the tracks and eat something (maybe salt). I saw them on the tracks every morning.

[les_gyug]

The black bears sit on the railroad tracks eating grain that has fallen out of hopper cars (especially at sidings where those "low-priority" trains can sit for quite a while). It has been many years since I was there, but the Berg Lake trail to the backside of Mt. Robson is indeed spectacular (allow one day in, at least one day there and one day out), and is one of the few trails in the park. There are some fantastic wetland complexes (spruce bogs, willow deltas and the like), but bring a canoe if you want to get into them. Bird nesting should be peaking at about the time you will be there.

 

The rest of the park is (or at least was) almost completely undeveloped, which is great for off-trail bushwhacking, but not so great if you want to be led somewhere by a trail. The size of the park has grown in the last few decades, but I don't think much development has happened in the newer parts. Remember, this is a provincial park, and provincial parks have almost no budget for anything, at least compared to the national parks (although British Columbia provincial parks do have a web site that you may have already checked out). Jasper National Park adjacent just to the east has all the basic trail developments and tourist amenities that people have come to expect from "developed" national parks.

 

As to the birding get-together, I don't know, but there are both B.C. birders groups web pages and B.C. Wildlife Festival web pages that may refer to this event.

 

Les Gyug

[les_gyug]

I just looked this up. Point your browser to the site below. It has links to all sorts of Mt. Robson park info. You can contact the park (or regional parks office, since the visitor centre isn't open in the winter) for specific info.

 

http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/mtrobson.htm

 

Les Gyug

[ted_zimmerman]

<p>The Robson Valley Bird Blitz is scheduled to be held June 3 & 4 this year. The trip is sponsored by BC Parks with the majority of participants coming from the <a href="http://www.islandnet.com/~boom/birding/princegeorge/index.htm">Prince George Naturalists Club</a>.

 

 

<p>For more information regarding the park (or birding in the park), you can contact <A href="mailto:Gail.Ross@gems8.gov.bc.ca">Gail Ross</A>, Resource Officer (and professional photographer) at BC Parks.

 

Have a great trip!