Stone Mountain Provincial Park
History
Cultural Heritage
Conservation
Stone Mountain
Park provides representation of the Eastern Muskwa Ranges ecosection.
The Muskwa Ranges of the northern Rocky Mountains contain complex
folds, wide U-shaped valleys and rugged peaks of Paleozoic limestone
and quartzite. In comparison to the southern Rocky Mountains, the
older Muskwa Ranges show evidence of more complex, tectonic deformation
during their uplifting and development over 50 million years ago.
Throughout Stone Mountain, there are examples of tilted sedimentary
strata, folds, faults and synclines. Valley bottoms in the headwaters
of MacDonald Creek are characterized by vertical beds which protrude
through scree less resistant to erosion.
A more localized
sub-range of the Muskwas, the Stone Range represents a heavily eroded
and horizontally-bedded landscape typical to northern portion of
the park. Mt. St. Paul at 2127m is composed of layered sedimentary
rock, mostly seabed dolomite, laid down in Devonian times and raised
along with the rest of the area approximately 80-90 million years
ago.
The topography
of Stone Mountain Park is steep, with elevations ranging from 1200m
to 2500m. Elevations within the park exceed 2300m only in the southern
potion of the MacDonald Creek headwaters. Mt. St. Magnus at 2550m
serves as a southern boundary marker and represent the highest mountain
in the park.
Glaciation has
been responsible for forming the present-day landscape. A large
ice sheet extended over the park and scoured the lower peaks of
the Stone Range. The U-shaped MacDonald valley illustrates one of
the many ice valleys in the area. As glacial ice melted, the area
of Summit Lake received an immense deposition of gravel and boulders;
this was followed by an intense period of fluvial erosion. As a
result, major outwash plains were formed in the headwaters of the
North Tetsa River. Five distinct terrace levels indicate the intensity
of fluvial action that scoured this particular portion of the park.
Runoff is a
dominant hydrological process in Stone Mountain due to steep slopes,
little soil and vegetation and the amount of rainfall. A variety
of water bodies and kettle holes scattered throughout the park are
recharged by spring meltwater and summer rains. Deep canyons trace
the flow of intermittent creeks.
Summit Lake
is the largest water body in the park. The deep blue waters are
recharged annually by snow melt and precipitation. West of the pass
lies Rocky Crest Lake, a small sub-alpine lake. Between these two
lakes, a broad wetland marks the divide between the watersheds of
the Tetsa-Muskwa and Racing-Toad River systems. Although the Tetsa
River drains to the east and the Toad to the west, both river ultimately
run into the Arctic Ocean via the Mackenzie River.
A unique outwash
plain formation lies in the headwaters of the North Tetsa River,
southeast of Mt. St. George. A series of stepped terraces record
the catastrophic drainage pattern which occurred during the later
stages of the glacial retreat. As Summit Lake was blocked by ice
and debris, outwash from the retreating MacDonald valley glacier
escaped south of Mt. St. George carrying glacial drift down the
valley of the North Tetsa. Water erosion, caused by the melting
ice-front in the Tetsa headwaters, quickly carved an intricate pattern
of channels thorough the newly deposited till.
Due to its mountainous
location, Stone Mountain Park supports only two biogeoclimatic zones.
The subalpine spruce/willow/birch zone contains open forests of
mainly white spruce and subalpine fir. A stand of lodgepole pine
north of Summit Lake Campground, is indicative of a wildfire which
probably occurred during the construction of the Alaska Highway.
Above 1500m lies the alpine tundra zone. Scrub birch and willow
species are found along wet areas, and grasses and alpine flowers
occur in areas that have enough soil to support them. On shady sites
in upland locations, small basins of alpine muskeg occur. These
boggy areas are accumulations of moss layers that have grown in
successive layers over glacial till. When walked upon, the ground
of these areas feels soft and spongy. Please be careful and avoid
these areas, as they are very sensitive to trampling and major disturbance.
Alpine meadows host the southern limit of the Lapland rosebay shrub.
This small shrub is from the rhododendron genus and bears showy
clusters of bright rose-purple flowers. Unlike other rhododendrons,
the Lapland rosebay grows on calcium-rich soils.
Wildlife
Few furbearing
mammals inhabit Stone Mountain Park. High elevations and harsh winter
conditions limit the range of many species. Squirrel, hoary marmot
and chipmunk are the more observable species. Other species known
to occur include grizzly and black bear, wolf, coyote, lynx, marten,
fisher and beaver. Populations of caribou, stone sheep and mountain
goat winter in the park. Caribou and stone sheep are visible along
the highway. Please reduce speeds and watch for wildlife when travelling
the Alaska Highway. Other ungulates that use the park in summer
include mule deer and elk. Summit and Rocky Crest Lakes are congregation
areas for migratory birds. Raptors, such as golden eagles, can be
seen circling the skies. Many other avian species occur, but have
not been recorded. Ptarmigan are a common sight above treeline.
Summit Lake
offers angling opportunities to visitors. The lake has been stocked
in past years with rainbow and lake trout and mountain fish are
also present. Summit Lake is a low productivity lake, with fish
exhibiting slow growth and late maturation. As a result, fish populations
are easily overfished. Please be prudent and refer to the current
BC Environment Fishing Regulations Synopsis. Arctic grayling and
bull trout can be found in MacDonald Creek.
