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72-638: The earliest roots of the Bethlehem mining operations began when the Jersey zone was staked and bonded to a French syndicate c.  1886  – c.  1887 . This claim changed hands several times until finally in October 1954 when the Huestis-Reynolds-McLallen Syndicate sponsored a prospective examination covering 100 claims including Jersey and surrounding zones. Copper was known to occur in

144-400: A topographic prominence cutoff of 1,000 feet (300 m), in order to list only highly independent peaks.) The following peaks are notable for their topographic prominence : The following peaks are notable for their large, steep rise above local terrain. Peaks are listed in descending order by elevation. The North Cascades are known for having many extremely tall glacial-fed waterfalls;

216-576: A community built on the cliffsides here during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush . At the site that once housed railway workers, a tourist attraction built in 1971 takes visitors across Hell's Gate via an aerial tramway . At Siska , a few minutes south of Lytton, there are the Cisco bridges —a pair of railway bridges at the throat of a rocky gorge. From south to north, the Canadian Pacific has been on

288-410: A diversity of plant species. It contains more than 1630 vascular plant species There are eight distinct life zones that support thousands of plants separately and in their own way. Traveling west to east through the range, one would intersect a number of distinct ecoregions, first getting higher and colder, then getting warmer, yet drier. Each of these component ecoregions can be described by either

360-660: A mile in length. The Fraser Canyon Highway Tunnels were constructed from the spring of 1957 to 1964 as part of the Trans-Canada Highway project. There are seven tunnels in total, the shortest being approximately 57 metres (187 ft); the longest, however, is approximately 610 metres (2,000 ft) and is one of North America 's longest. They are situated between Yale and Boston Bar . In order from south to north, they are: Yale (completed 1963), Saddle Rock (1958), Sailor Bar (1959), Alexandra (1964), Hell's Gate (1960), Ferrabee (1964) and China Bar (1961). The Hell's Gate tunnel

432-455: A partnership. The Highmont mill on the south side of the valley was acquired in 1988 when Highmont Mining Company joined the partnership. This mill had been closed down in 1984 when the Highmont deposit became uneconomical. A large tailing pond is maintained to support these operations (48.5 million tonnes of tailings pumped in 2003), with two containment embankments to retain the tailings from

504-516: A result, there is a great deal of winter snow and glaciation in the high North Cascades. The eastern slopes and mountain passes can receive significant snowfall. Cold Arctic air can flow south from British Columbia through the Okanogan River valley into the bowl-like basin east of the Cascades. Cold air damming causes this Arctic air to bank up along the eastern Cascade slopes, especially into

576-534: A route via the Coquihalla Pass for its southern mainline . South of the boundary, reconnaissance for possible railroad routes (none of which were viable north of the one eventually put in over Stevens Pass, at the southern edge of the North Cascades) and various mining rushes. Miners dominated the exploration and development of the range from the 1880s through the early 20th century. For example, mines around

648-465: A series of ancient faults , the most significant being the Straight Creek Fault, which runs north–south from north of Yale, British Columbia , through Hope , Marblemount, Washington , and down to Kachess Lake near Snoqualmie Pass. There is evidence of significant strike-slip movement on this fault in the past, with similar rocks on either side of the fault separated by dozens of miles. This

720-427: A tree indicator species , or by a lack of trees: Western hemlock , silver fir , subalpine mountain hemlock , Alpine tundra , subalpine fir , and grand fir / Douglas-fir . The range also has a rich diversity of animals, including bald eagles , wolves , grizzly bears , mountain lions and black bears . The range is home to at least 75 species of mammals and 200 species of birds that either pass through or use

792-568: Is followed by BC Highway 12 , then from Lillooet to Pavilion by BC Highway 99 (the farther end of the Sea-to-Sky Highway , though not carrying that name in this area). The British Columbia Railway (now operated by the CN) line follows the same stretch of canyon from Lillooet to just beyond Pavilion]. Between there and the mouth of the Chilcotin River there are only rough ranching roads, and

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864-629: Is geologically considered the "North Cascades" may variously be defined as being the southern limit of exposure of igneous and metamorphic terranes which is generally north of Snoqualmie Pass, Snoqualmie Pass itself, or Naches Pass at the White River Fault Zone. While alpine glaciers are a defining feature of the Cascade Range as a whole, this is especially true of the North Cascades. The stratovolcanoes (Mount Baker and Glacier Peak) are

936-423: Is navigable between Boston Bar and Lillooet and also between Big Bar Ferry and Prince George and beyond, although rapids at Soda Canyon and elsewhere were still difficult waters for the many steamboats which piloted the river in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first sternwheeler to pass the rapids was Skuzzy , which was built with a multiple-compartment hull to preserve her from sinking from rock damage. She

1008-504: Is the only tunnel that does not have lights, while the China Bar tunnel is the only tunnel that requires ventilation. The China Bar and Alexandra tunnels have warning lights that are activated by cyclists before they enter the tunnels. This was required because the tunnels are curved. It is expected that the Ferrabee tunnel will get the same warning lights as it too is curved. At the mouth of

1080-582: Is thought to be related to northward tectonic movement of the West Coast relative to the rest of North America. Since about 35 million years ago, oceanic crust from the Pacific Ocean has been subducting under the continental margin , which has formed the current volcanoes as well as a number of igneous intrusions composed of diorite and gabbro . The current uplift of the Cascade Range began around 8 million years ago. Rocks similar to those in

1152-618: The Cascade Mountains near Princeton as the productive mines of Allenby in 1914 had shown. On the strength of this, prospectors searched for other deposits in the region. These they found north of Merritt and east of Ashcroft at Logan Lake at the Jersey zone. In February 1960, Bethlehem Copper Corporation made an agreement with the Japanese group Sumitomo for US$ 5.5 million to bring the property into production. Construction began in July 1961. At

1224-550: The Cascade Volcanic Arc . The U.S. section of the North Cascades and the adjoining Skagit Range in British Columbia are most notable for their dramatic scenery and challenging mountaineering , both resulting from their steep, rugged topography . While most of the peaks are under 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in elevation , the low valleys provide great local relief, often over 6,000 feet (1,800 m). The summits of

1296-631: The Chilko River , notably Lava Canyon and another Black Canyon. There are other canyons on the Fraser that are not considered part of the canyon, notably at Soda Creek , between Williams Lake and Prince George. The official but comparatively diminutive Grand Canyon of the Fraser is in the river's upper stretch through the Rocky Mountain Trench , about 115 km (71 mi) upstream from Prince George and about 20 km (12 mi) upstream from

1368-576: The Fraser Valley . Colloquially, the term "Fraser Canyon" is often used to include the Thompson Canyon from Lytton to Ashcroft , since they form the same highway route which most people are familiar with, although it is actually reckoned to begin above Williams Lake at Soda Creek Canyon near the town of the same name. The canyon was formed during the Miocene period (23.7–5.3 million years ago) by

1440-680: The Supreme Court of Canada on what constituted a mine for tax purposes. Production of the East Jersey pit began on November 28, 1962, and continued until February 17, 1965, when a rock slide forced the Company to end the pit's life early. Production of the Jersey pit began quickly after. The Jersey pit was given an extension in 1977, extending its life another 5 years. Two minor additional pits were also operated for brief periods during this time: Huestis from 1970 to 1976 and Iona from 1976 to 1979. On

1512-629: The United States Forest Service from 1910 to 1940...." Fur traders entered the area in the first half of the 19th century, coming from Canada and from Astoria on the Columbia River . One of the earliest was Alexander Ross of the North West Company , who crossed the range in the summer of 1814, probably via Cascade Pass . The period of uncertainty surrounding the disputed Oregon Country gave way following partition along

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1584-622: The diffuse knapweed ( Centaurea diffusa ) and reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea ). On the United States side of the border, early inhabitants of the North Cascades included the Nooksack , Skagit , and Sauk-Suiattle tribes on the west, and the Okanagan people on the eastern side, with the Nlaka'pamux people of what is now Canada claiming hunting territory in the heart of the range, south across

1656-522: The "American Alps" by hikers, climbers and mountaineers because of the sea of steep, jagged peaks that span across the range. This range's rugged approaches and exceptional alpine terrain make it a premiere training ground for mountain climbers. Chief among the protected areas in Washington is North Cascades National Park , occupying much of the area between Mount Baker and the Cascade divide. Contiguous with

1728-574: The 49th Parallel to a period of tentative U.S. Army exploration in tandem with violent subjugation of Indian tribes on the American side of the frontier in the second half of the century. With the partition, the Hudson's Bay Company was forced to seek an alternative to its older Brigade Trail via the Okanogan River and the construction of a new route over the northern spine of the Canadian Cascades from

1800-576: The CP line. All westbound trains—CN, CP, Via Rail's westbound Canadian —use the CN tracks. Just north of Lillooet, narrow rock ledges choke the river just at the confluence of the lower canyon of the Bridge River , forming an obstacle to migrating fish that has made this spot the busiest aboriginal fishing site on the river, from ancient times to the present. Concentrations of First Nations people here, from all tribes of

1872-635: The Canyon, an archeological site documents the presence of the Stó:lō people in the area from the early Holocene period, 8,000 to 10,000 years ago after the retreat of the Fraser Glacier . Research farther upriver at the Keatley Creek Archaeological Site , near Pavilion, is dated to 8000 BP, when a huge lake filled what is now the canyon above Lillooet, created by a slide a few miles south of

1944-779: The Chewack-Pasayten Fault. This fault separates the easternmost portion of the North Cascades, the Methow Terrane, from the Quesnellia Terrane, one of the Omineca and Intermontane Belts . The fault also separates the Methow River valley, part of the Methow Terrane, from the Okanagan Range , part of the Quesnellia Terrane. The Columbia River Basalt Group bounds the North Cascades to the southeast. The southern limit of what

2016-560: The Fraser's confluence with the Bowron River . Despite its name, the Grand Canyon of the Fraser is only one treacherous switchback rapid in a shallow rock gorge, and it has neither the roughness of water nor the depth and severity of canyon as is found in the area south from Big Bar to Lillooet or between Boston Bar and Yale. Almost all of the rivers and creeks feeding the Fraser from Williams Lake south have their own canyons which open onto

2088-657: The Fraser, or are just up side-valleys a few miles. These include Marble Canyon , Churn Creek , the Chilcotin River, the Bridge River , Seton Lake and Cayoosh Creek , the Stein River , the Nahatlatch River , the Coquihalla River and the innumerable smaller creeks flanking the river between Kanaka Bar and Yale. The Canadian Pacific Railway has at least 30 tunnels in its Yale to Lytton section with one up to half

2160-612: The Interior, were believed to have been in excess of 10,000. Many stretches of the Fraser are named in their own right, starting with the Little Canyon between Yale and Spuzzum , which is officially the lowest reach of the Fraser Canyon (although in regional terms Hope , 32 kilometres (20 mi) farther south, is considered a canyon town and to be the southern outlet of the canyon because the highway became more difficult from that point;

2232-663: The North Cascades continue north to the vicinity of Mount Meager massif in the Coast Mountains , where they abut the Stikinia Terrane of the Omineca-Intermontane Province that dominates the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. This geologic similarity between the North Cascades and Coast Mountains results in a fairly arbitrary boundary between the two. In British Columbia, the western geologic boundary of

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2304-492: The North Cascades for a breeding area. There are also 11 species of fish on the west side of the Cascades. Examples of amphibian species occurring in the North Cascades include the western toad ( Bufo boreas ) and the rough-skinned newt ( Taricha granulosa ). The biodiversity of the area is threatened by global climate change and invasive exotic plant species. These exotic plants thrive by utilizing manmade structures such as roads and trails. These invasive plants include

2376-569: The North Cascades is defined as the Fraser River as it follows the Straight Creek Fault, while in the United States the western boundary is defined by the Puget Lowlands in the west, although there are significant westward extensions of rocks similar in origin to those in the North Cascades found in the San Juan Islands . The eastern geologic boundary of the North Cascades may be marked by

2448-420: The North Cascades varies considerably by location and elevation. The western slope of the range is wet and cool, with 60 to 250 inches (1.5 to 6.4 m) of precipitation per year. This produces a temperate rain forest climate in the low valleys, which then grades into montane and alpine climates on mountain slopes and peaks. Summers are comparatively dry, with far less precipitation than in winter; sometimes

2520-467: The Park are Ross Lake National Recreation Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area . Designated wilderness areas in the range include: In British Columbia, protected areas include: Fraser Canyon The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to

2592-676: The Thompson via the Nicoamen River and runs via Lawless Creek, the Tulameen River and Copper Creek to the Similkameen River . On the west, the foothills of the range are separated by a narrow coastal plain from Puget Sound except along Chuckanut Drive between Bellingham and Mount Vernon , where they abut the Sound directly. The southern boundary of the North Cascades is less definite. For

2664-668: The U.S. and Canada as the Cascade Mountains . The portion in Canada is known to Americans as the Canadian Cascades , a designation that also includes the mountains above the east bank of the Fraser Canyon as far north as the town of Lytton , at the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers . They are predominantly non-volcanic, but include the stratovolcanoes Mount Baker , Glacier Peak and Coquihalla Mountain , which are part of

2736-597: The Valley Copper mine, now the largest mine and most noticeable feature, began in January 1983. For fifty years the ore was dug using shovels and open pit methods. A very large pit ensued--half a mile deep and two miles in diameter. Highland Valley Copper was created in mid-1986 when the Highland Valley mining operations of Lornex Mining Corporation Ltd. and Cominco Ltd. were combined into a new single entity, structured as

2808-581: The area of Spuzzum into the valley of the Coldwater River to connect fort Langley on the lower Fraser with its northern posts in New Caledonia . The route was impracticable and was soon abandoned, though more southerly routes through what is now Manning Park laid the foundations for later routes such as the Dewdney Trail and the modern Crowsnest Highway via Allison Pass , and was later similar to

2880-459: The boomtown of Monte Cristo , in the southwest portion of the North Cascades, produced "between $ 1 and $ 2.7 million in silver and gold". The Holden Mine , on the east side of the main divide, produced 106,000 tons of copper and 600,000 ounces of gold. Discovery of gold by American prospectors on the banks of the Thompson River at its confluence with the Nicoamen River , at the northern tip of

2952-788: The border into Washington. The tribes living and using the range on the Canadian side of the border are the Nlaka'pamux , Sto:lo and the Upper and Lower Similkameen subgroups of the Okanagan. A now-extinct group known as the Nicola Athapaskans also inhabited and hunted in the area now occupied by the Similkameen. Many current geographic names in the region are derived from native terms, either by transliteration or translation. Beckey notes that "Many names were derived from Chinook Jargon , mostly applied by

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3024-403: The canyon walls rise about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above the rapids. Fish ladders along the river's side permit migrating salmon to bypass a rockslide that diverted the river during the blasting of the Canadian Northern Railway line in 1913. The area around Hell's Gate carries the name Black Canyon, which may either be a reference to the colour of the rocks when it rains, or the name of

3096-406: The case of the northernmost areas graven by deep valleys along the flank of the Fraser Canyon, notably that of the Anderson River . The Fraser River and the adjoining lowland on its south bank form the northern and northwestern boundary of the range. On the east, the Okanogan River and the Columbia River bound the range in the United States, while the northeastern boundary of the range departs

3168-480: The double-tracking of those railways and major upgrades to Highway 1 (the Trans Canada Highway), travel through the canyon was even more precarious than it is now. During the frontier era it was a major obstacle between the Lower Mainland and the Interior Plateau, and the slender trails along its rocky walls – many of them little better than notches cut into granite, with a few handholds – were compared to goat-tracks. North of Lytton , it

3240-466: The early 1860s and the creation of non-native towns (on top of much older native ones) at Boston Bar , Lytton and Hope , as well as Princeton. Early settlers also arrived in the foothills of the North Cascades in the latter half of the 19th century, and utilized the range in a limited way as a source of timber and grazing land. The range is so rugged that this exploitation was less dramatic than in other more gentle landscapes. Early recreational use of

3312-478: The environment. In April 2017 freezing pipes caused 850 cubic meters of process water to spill. The spill was contained on site and returned to the tailing pond. Trojan Pond, a previous tailing pool used in the operation, began to be reclaimed in 1990 and is now a self-sustaining ecosystem and used for sport fishing. Copper and molybdenum mineral concentrates, which include trace amounts of silver and gold, are sent via truck to nearby rail facilities in Ashcroft where

3384-565: The few exceptions include the Pitt and the Chilliwack in the Lower Fraser Valley. The Thompson Canyon , from Lytton to Ashcroft , is a sequence of large canyons of its own, some of them also named, although most British Columbians and travellers think of it as part of the Fraser Canyon. Other important canyons on tributaries include Coquihalla Canyon , the Bridge River Canyon, Seton Canyon and adjacent Cayoosh Canyon , Pavilion Canyon , Vermilion Canyon (Slok Creek) and Churn Creek Canyon . The Chilcotin River also has several subcanyons, as does

3456-406: The form of snow , and the resulting glaciation , combine with the regional uplift to create a dramatic landscape in the western part of the range. Deep, U-shaped valleys carved by glaciers in Pleistocene time separate sharp ridges and peaks carved into steep shapes by more recent snow and ice. The eastern and northernmost parts of the range are much more plateau-like in character, though in

3528-461: The largest Mount Shuksan glaciers are forced through a narrow chute over a 2,183-foot (665 m) headwall at the head of Sulphide Valley . The bulk of the North Cascades consists of "deformed and metamorphosed , structurally complex pre- Tertiary rocks ". These originated in diverse locations around the globe: the area is built of several ("perhaps ten or more") different terranes of different ages and origins. These terranes are separated by

3600-586: The lower passes, such as Snoqualmie Pass and Stevens Pass . The milder, Pacific-influenced air moving east over the Cascades is often forced aloft by the cold air held in place in the passes due to cold air damming. As a result, the passes often receive more snow than higher areas in the Cascades. This effect makes the relatively low elevation ski resorts at Snoqualmie Pass (about 3,000 feet (910 m)) and Stevens Pass (about 4,000 feet (1,200 m)) possible. The following North Cascades peaks are notable for their height (absolute elevation): (The above table uses

3672-470: The most obviously glaciated peaks and have the largest glaciers, but many of the smaller, nonvolcanic peaks are glaciated as well. For example, the portion of the Cascades north of Snoqualmie Pass (roughly the North Cascades as defined in this article) These glaciers all retreated from 1900 to 1950. From 1950 to 1975 many but not all North Cascades glaciers advanced. Since 1975 retreat has become more rapid with all 107 glaciers monitored retreating by 1992. 2015

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3744-451: The ore is carried to the Port of Vancouver and to international destinations (primarily Japan and China for copper and steel production). The mine employed approximately 1300 persons in 2011. North Cascades The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America . They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in

3816-424: The present-day town. During the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858–1860, 10,500 miners and an untold number of hangers-on populated its banks and towns. The Fraser Canyon War and the series of events known as McGowan's War occurred during the gold rush. Other important histories connected with the canyon include the building of the Cariboo Wagon Road and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The river

3888-426: The purposes of this article, it will be taken as U.S. Highway 2 , running over Stevens Pass , or equivalently, the Skykomish River , Nason Creek, and the lower Wenatchee River . This roughly follows Beckey's geologic division in Cascade Alpine Guide and the definition used by Peakbagger.com. Sometimes the southern boundary is defined by Snoqualmie Pass and the approximate route of Interstate 90 . Sometimes

3960-432: The range included expeditions by the local climbing clubs, The Mountaineers and The Mazamas . These groups did not fully explore the inner reaches of the range and ascend the most difficult peaks until the 1930s and 1940s. It was not until the 1970s, that most peaks were climbed in the most isolated areas, making it one of the last explored ranges in the contiguous United States. The North Cascades are often referred as

4032-417: The range, helped trigger the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858-1860 which in turn prompted the declaration of the Colony of British Columbia to affirm British possession of territories north of the 49th Parallel. The Fraser rush led to exploration of the Cascades to the east of the canyon and in the valley of the Similkameen River , with minor rushes in the area of Princeton, British Columbia in 1859 through

4104-443: The rest of the Canadian Cascades are not glaciated in the same way and feature rock "horns" rising from plateau-like uplands, with the Manning Park and Cathedral Park areas known for their extensive alpine meadows , as is also the case with the eastern flank of the US portion of the range. Portions of the US side of the range are protected as part of North Cascades National Park . The large amount of precipitation , much of it in

4176-437: The rest of the province, other than by the difficult wagon road to Lillooet via Fountain. During the automotive age and following the construction of the Canadian Northern Railway in 1904–05, a newer version of the road was built through the canyon. The Fraser Canyon Highway was surveyed in 1920 and constructed in 1924–25 with a through-route available after the completion of the (second) Alexandra Suspension Bridge in 1926. This

4248-423: The river cutting into the uplifting Interior Plateau. From the northern Cariboo to Fountain , the river follows the line of the huge Fraser Fault, which runs on a north–south axis and meets the Yalakom Fault a few miles downstream from Lillooet . Exposures of lava flows are present in cliffs along the Fraser Canyon. They represent volcanic activity in the southern Chilcotin Group during the Pliocene period and

4320-435: The river is navigable to Yale). Between the Spuzzum and Boston Bar was known in the gold rush as the Big Canyon or Black Canyon; there are several named subcanyons of the Big Canyon, most famously Hells Gate Canyon (in some descriptions the Black Canyon is below Hell's Gate). Above the Big Canyon there are the Lillooet Canyon, Fountain Canyon, Glen Fraser Canyon, Moran Canyon, High Bar Canyon, French Bar Canyon and more all

4392-416: The south side of the valley the Lornex mine began mining in 1972. In 1981 Cominco , who already owned the claim to the Valley Copper deposit located west of Bethlehem, purchased Bethlehem Copper to consolidate the nearby operations. Mining of the original Bethlehem Copper pits ceased in 1982. The Bethlehem concentrator continued to operate on ore from the Valley Copper deposit until June 1989. Production on

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4464-529: The ten highest measured waterfalls are listed. Many tall waterfalls occur where meltwater from mountain glaciers drop down a headwall , which are common occurrences in the North Cascades. Many waterfalls, despite their great height, are non-notable as they are not clearly visible and often have low volume. Seahpo Peak Falls , despite its great height at nearly 2,200 feet (670 m), is an example of one of these waterfalls. A few notable exceptions do occur; Sulphide Creek Falls occurs where meltwaters from two of

4536-416: The term "North Cascades" or "northern Cascades" is used for the entire range north of the Columbia River . Geologically, the rocks of the North Cascades extend south beyond Stevens Pass and west into the San Juan Islands . The significance of the geologic transitions to the Okanagan Highland to the east and the Interior Plateau and Coast Mountains to the north are less agreed upon. The climate in

4608-412: The terrain is a mix of canyon depths flanked by arid benchland and high plateau. Between Pavilion and Lillooet, the river's gorge is at its maximum depth, with the river throttled through a series of narrow gorges flanked by high cliffs, though still flanked above those cliffs by wide benchlands which stand on the foreshoulder of the mountain ranges flanking the gorge. At Hells Gate , near Boston Bar ,

4680-417: The time, Jersey and East Jersey were identified as zones containing suitable ore for production, and an assessment was completed of the area between the two zones. It was found that this middle area did not have suitable deposits to favour commercial operation and the Jersey and East Jersey zones were mined separately. This operation of two mines in close proximity by the same company led to a case brought before

4752-469: The volcanic vents of their origins have not been discovered. The canyon extends 270 kilometres (170 mi) north of Yale to the confluence of the Chilcotin River . Its southern stretch is a major transportation corridor to the Interior from the Coast , with the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways and the Trans-Canada Highway carved out of its rock faces, with many of the canyon's side-crevasses spanned by bridges and trestles. Prior to

4824-515: The warmer eastern air and cooler western air meet at the Cascades during the summer months, and form thunderstorms. Sometimes, the storms move downwind into lowland cities. The eastern slope lies in the rain shadow of the range, since prevailing winds and most moisture come from the west, and hence is significantly drier than the western side of the main divide, becoming semi-arid in the eastern lowlands. As with most mountainous areas, precipitation increases dramatically with increasing elevation. As

4896-433: The way up to Soda Creek Canyon near Quesnel . Upstream from there the river flows in wider country, but in the Robson Valley between Prince George and Tête Jaune Cache , the river enters the Grand Canyon of the Fraser . The Black Canyon was the site of a shantytown of the same name, much of which was on catwalks on the ramparts of its dark-rock cliffs. Nearly all tributaries of the Fraser have canyons of varying scale;

4968-463: The west side of the canyon, while the Canadian National has been on the east side. At Siska, the two railways switch sides: the CP—160-metre-long (520 ft) truss bridge—crosses to the east, the CN—on an 250-metre (810 ft) steel-arched bridge over the CP—is now on the west. The two railways now have an agreement to allow directional running through the canyon as far as Basque. All eastbound trains—CN, CP, and Via Rail's eastbound Canadian —run on

5040-500: The winter snowpack) form a large reservoir of water . As snow and ice melts in the summer, the resulting meltwater compensates for the seasonal decrease in precipitation. As glaciers retreat they will provide less summer runoff. The Cascades north of Snoqualmie Pass have 756 glaciers covering 103 square miles (270 km ) of terrain. For comparison, the entire contiguous United States has about 1,100 glaciers in total, covering 205 square miles (530 km ). The North Cascades has

5112-411: Was an especially damaging year for Cascadian Glaciers, an estimated mass loss of five to ten percent, the single greatest loss in over 50 years. There are approximately 700 glaciers in the range, though some have already disappeared. Since a brief advancing period in the 1950s, most of these glaciers have been retreating . This is a serious concern to water managers in the region, as the glaciers (and

5184-565: Was used to haul equipment and supplies during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, beginning in the 1880s. With the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s came the destruction of key portions of the Cariboo Wagon Road , as there was no room for both railway and road on the narrow, steep mountainsides above the river. As a result, the towns of Lytton and Boston Bar were cut off from road access with

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