Thutade Lake is located in the Omineca Mountains of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. About 40 km (25 mi) in length, and no more than about 2 km (1.2 mi) wide, the lake is primarily significant as the ultimate source of the Mackenzie River. The lake is at the head of the Finlay River, which joins the Peace River via Williston Lake. The area is very remote, being located about 260 km (160 mi) north of Smithers, although several mining operations for ores containing copper, lead, zinc and silver have occurred around the lake. The largest of these is the Kemess Mine, an iron and copper property originally owned by Royal Oak Mines and now by Northgate Minerals, located in the valley of Kemess Creek, which is off the northeast end of Thutade Lake. The mine is accessed by the Omineca Resource Road and other resource routes, and is 400 km (250 mi) by road from Prince George. Just downstream from the outlet of Thutade Lake, the Finlay plunges over the 180-foot (55 m) Cascadero Falls, and then through a series of cataracts in a twisting course until it begins its main northeastward trend. Cascadero Falls is slated for hydroelectric development in connection with the power needs of the area's mines.
Kwadacha, also known as Fort Ware or simply Ware, is an aboriginal community in northern British Columbia, Canada, located in the Rocky Mountain Trench at the confluence of the Finlay, Kwadacha and Fox Rivers, in the Rocky Mountain Trench upstream from the end of the Finlay Reach of Williston Lake. The population is about 350. It is in the federal electoral riding of Prince George-Peace River.
Finlay-Russel Provincial Park and Protected Area is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area.
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 on the east, the Nation Lakes on the south, and the upper reaches of the Omineca River on the west. They form a section of the Continental Divide, 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, to the west the Skeena Mountains and Hazelton Mountains, to the north the Spatsizi Plateau and the Stikine Ranges, while east across the Rocky Mountain Trench are the Muskwa 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 province.
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 which in turn form part of the Interior Mountains. They are named in honour of legendary surveyor/explorer Frank Swannell.
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.
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 Interior Mountains.
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 Interior Mountains. The range is named for Samuel Black, the first European to explore the area.
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 the Interior Mountains. The range features several lakes, the largest of which, Thutade Lake, is at the head of the Finlay River, and is considered the ultimate source of the Mackenzie River. Tatlatui Lake, the next largest lake in the range, to the northwest of Thutade Lake, is at the head of the Firesteel River, a tributary of the Finlay. Various summits of the range, which as described separates the Pacific and Arctic drainages, form part of the Continental Divide. Most of the range and its lakes are in Tatlatui Provincial Park.
The Yukon Ranges are a mountain range comprising the mountains in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alaska and most of the Yukon in Canada. Named after the Yukon, this range has area of 364,710 square kilometres (140,820 sq mi).
The Cormier Range is a subrange of the Sifton Ranges, located between the Finlay River and Fox River in northern British Columbia, Canada. This northwest trending mountain range extends from Ware to Fox Pass.
The Butler Range is a subrange of the Finlay Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located on the west side of Finlay Reach in northern British Columbia, Canada.
The Fishing Range is a subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located on the east side of Fishing Lakes and on the upper Finlay River in northern British Columbia, Canada.
The Rancheria River is a tributary of the Liard River in the southern Yukon Territory, Canada, just north of the border with British Columbia. The river's main tributary is the Little Rancheria River, which begins in British Columbia. Both river basins are in the northernmost of extension of the Stikine Ranges of the Cassiar Mountains, which extend from the Finlay River north to the Liard and end just inside the Yukon, with the Rancheria River forming the northern end of the 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.
Metsantan Pass, 1,270 metres (4,167 ft), is a mountain pass in the Metsantan Range of the Omineca Mountains in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located between Metsantan Lake, in the drainage basin of the Stikine River (NW) and the headwaters of the Toodoggone River (SE), a tributary of the Finlay River which is part of the Peace-Mackenzie River drainage area, and therefore is located along the Continental Divide.
Sifton Pass, 1,012 metres, is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountain Trench in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, forming the divide between the Fox and Kechika Rivers, and therefore between the drainage basins of the Finlay and Liard Rivers. It also forms a division point between the Muskwa Ranges of the Northern Rockies to its east, and the Cassiar Mountains to its west.
The Muskwa-Kechika Management Area is a provincially-run tract of land in the far north of British Columbia. It has an advisory board that counsels the government on land-use decisions. Established by provincial government legislation in 1998, the area is meant to be preserved as a wild area, but development is not outright forbidden; the land is divided into different zones, with varying levels of protection, although the whole area is to be used according to an overall plan. The original concept called for 25% of the land to be turned into provincial parks, 60% to become "special management zones", and 15% to become "special wild land zones", where logging would be prohibited. The original size of the M-KMA was 4,450,000 hectares. However, in 2000, with the approval of the Mackenzie Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP), over 1,900,000 hectares were added to the M-KMA for a total area of 6,400,000 hectares —an area slightly smaller than the US state of Maine, or the entire island of Ireland, or seven times the size of Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming.
Pelly Peak, is a 2,048-metre (6,719-foot) mountain summit in the Russel Range of the Omineca Mountains in northern British Columbia, Canada. The mountain is situated west of the head of Finlay Reach of Williston Lake, and a remote 67 km (42 mi) south of Fort Ware in the Cassiar Land District. It rises 1,250 m (4,100 ft) above the south shore of Pelly Lake. Its nearest higher peak is Barrier Peak, 5.0 km (3.1 mi) to the east. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Pelly Creek, a tributary of the Ingenika River. Sir John Pelly (1777–1852) served as Governor of Hudson's Bay Company for three decades, and his name is attached to many geographic features in Canada, including but not limited to Pelly River, Pelly Mountains, Pelly Island, Pelly Bay, Mount Pelly, and Fort Pelly. The peak's name was officially adopted June 4, 1953, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. Based on the Köppen climate classification, Pelly Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.
