Golden Ears Provincial Park

Infobox_protected_area
name = Golden Ears Provincial Park
iucn_category = II

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caption = Golden Ears Summit
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = British Columbia, Canada
nearest_city = Maple Ridge, British Columbia
lat_degrees = 49
lat_minutes = 28
lat_seconds =
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 122
long_minutes = 27
long_seconds =
long_direction = W
area = 609 km²
established = 1927
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = BC Parks

Golden Ears Provincial Park is one of the largest Provincial Parks in British Columbia, Canada at 555.9 km². It is named after the prominent twin peaks which are commonly referred to as Golden Ears (Mount Blanshard) (Elevation: 1716 m or 5630ft). The park is located 11 kilometers north of the district municipality of Maple Ridge on the north side of the Fraser River.

The park was originally part of Garibaldi Provincial Park.

Attractions

The park is often used for hiking, horseback riding, camping, and boating.

Hiking

There is an extensive network of hiking trails in the park ranging from short walks to strenuous backcountry trips.

Golden Ears Trail

This trail takes you to the Northern summit of the Golden Ears massif. The trail is approximately 12 km one-way from the west canyon parking lot with an elevation gain of 1500 meters. This is mostly a wilderness trail after the Alder Flats campsite, which is located a few kilometers from the parking lot. Past Alder Flats camp, there are no facilities other than an emergency shelter and outhouse on the ridge below the peaks. There are plenty of great camping spots along the ridge, however there is no permanent source of water. Depending on the season, water can be melted from the snow fields that remain in the northern shadow of the peak. Views from the top are panoramic, overlooking the Fraser Valley to the south and surrounding peaks.

ee also

*Golden Ears Bridge, a bridge across the Fraser River, under construction as of 2006

Trivia

The movie First Blood (starring Sylvester Stallone as Rambo) was shot in Golden Ears Provincial Park.

External links

* [http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/golden.html Official Park Web Site]
* [http://www.canadianmountainencyclopedia.com/ArxPg.asp?ArxId=2112 Golden Ears Provincial Park] at the "Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia"