Driftwood Canyon Park
23.0 ha
Area
1967
Established
Class A
Park class
Park
Type
About this Park
Driftwood Canyon is recognized as one of the world’s most significant fossil beds. It provides park users with a fascinating opportunity to understand the area’s evolutionary processes of both geology and biology.
The park is open to use year-round but limited maintenance services are provided in winter months. Access may be subject to snowfall.
Safety information
- Standing directly beneath the cliff face is dangerous. Please do not venture off trails or past the viewing platform.
- Bring your own drinking water as potable water is not available.
Special notes
- In June 2026, we launched upgraded accessibility features in Driftwood Canyon Park. Watch the video below to see the new features and experience a bird’s-eye view of the park. To learn more, see the accessibility information section of this page.
- To ensure that future generations may study and learn more about our earth’s history, BC Parks asks for your co-operation in refraining from removing any fossils. The fossils are more valuable in the ground than they are exposed to the elements of erosion, which spoil their scientific and educational values.
- Interpretive information is available at the parking area and along the short trail to the base of the cliff.
Location notes
This park is located 10 km northeast of Smithers, follow the signs on Old Babine Lake Road. The closest communities are Smithers and Telkwa.
Activities
- 192:Pets on leash Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement.
- 192:Hiking There is a short trail that leads from the parking area to the fossil beds. Along the trail are signs that provide information on fossils and local history. There is also a viewing platform over Driftwood Creek. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
Facilities
- 192:Picnic areas There is a day-use and picnicking area beside Driftwood Creek. It is a grassy area with picnic tables and fire pits. There is a moderate sized parking area available for vehicles to park. The park is open to use year-round but limited maintenance services are provided in winter months. Access may be subject to snowfall.
- 192:Accessibility information Accessibility information is available for this park.
- 192:Campfires Campfires are permitted at this park but visitors must provide their own wood. To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather firewood around the day-use area or elsewhere in the park. Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil. You can conserve firewood and air quality by keeping your campfire small.
- 192:Pit or flush toilets There are two pit toilets located at the day-use area.
Location
54.82600, -127.02230 · Babine
