Canyons, crevices and fissures are common geological features around the world, and yet I am always amazed at the power behind the earthquakes, volcanoes and glaciers that split, built and moved the massive rock formations so many millennia ago.   Such was the case when we pulled our campervan into the day use area of Chasm Provincial Park for lunch and a washroom break.   We were driving on Hwy 97, almost at Clinton, but opted for a picnic lunch at a park rather than a greasy burger at a fast food restaurant in town.  Bob offered to make lunch while I explored the area.

The viewpoint overlooks the “Painted Chasm”.  I stared, mesmerized by the beautiful scene in front of me.  Layers of brown, yellow, red and purple lava rock lined the walls of the canyon.  The colours seemed to stretch on forever, right into the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains.  Sunlight bounced off the colourful walls, leaving glitter and sparkle.

The chasm is 8 km long, 600 m wide and 300 m deep, the perfect size for another of nature’s wonder, the echo.  There are few places where I have actually experienced echoing and I had a lot of fun shouting out at the canyon and having the words bounce back to me.  When I quieted again, I heard the sound of running water, more specifically, falling water.  The sound was close by, but I couldn’t see the source.

A trail followed the fence along the cliff and through the thick pine forest to a small creek, maybe 2 m across.  Stepping stones formed a bridge across the shallow water.  This slow and peaceful creek changed its rhythm as it meandered towards the edge of the cliff, then plummeted 300 m to the rocks below.  The sound, bouncing off the cliffs, magnified and echoed, creating the illusion of a great waterfall.

The trail continued along the cliff, but the fencing did not.  I do not recommend taking small children on this hike.  A small slip and they (or you) can fall to a very painful death.  There were also bear warning signs, so I decided to turn back.   I returned to the camper where Bob had hot coffee, grilled cheese sandwiches and fresh fruit salad waiting for me.  I really love this guy.

This day-use area is just a small part of the 3067 hectare park that protects, not only the geological formation, but also the ponderosa pine forests that are at the northern limit of their range. I couldn’t find any maps of trails for the area, but would love to go back with my bicycle and travel along some of the old roads within the park boundaries.  But not today.  Bob is packing up the lunch dishes and is anxious to get on to the next part of our adventure, “The Fishing Highway”!

Here is my growing list of the parks visited as I continue my quest to visit all 648 BC Parks!!

https://648bcparks.ca/my-bucket-list-places-i-have-visited/