Kleanza Creek

It is with great reservation that I make this post.

You see, Kleanza Creek is Terrace's best kept secret. While many locals flock to the Lakelse Lake for sunshine and boating, or for one of the many rivers for fishing, it is Kleanza Creek that is my fortress of solitude. And while everyone should check it out and enjoy Kleanza, please don't all come at once - it is so peaceful and so beautiful and not over run by the masses.


Case in point: The much more developed Lakelse Lake Furlong Bay Provincial Campground at Furlong Bay had all 156 of their sold out on the Thursday of Victoria Day long weekend 2006. Kleanza had maybe 10 camping enthusiasts, although all 32 sites were filled by the Friday.


Located about 20km east of Terrace, Kleanza Creek Provincial Park (269 hectares) provides 32 vehicle/tent campsites and a picnic/day use area. The park is open from May to September and $14 a night camping fees are collected during this time. There is a gate and it is locked from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. Ammenities are not in abundance. There are no pay phones, flush toilets, showers, electricity or sani-dump here.


There is something magical about this place. Located in a truly lovely forest setting beside an at times powerful creek in the Kleanza Canyon, the park is a perfect choice for a picnic or a camp stop. The winds that come down the canyon offer some nice relief on those hot, sunny days. The picnic area is nicely cleared for sun exposure, while camping and hiking opportunities are nestled in ancient forests of towering hemlock, fir and spruce trees. The powerful water deafens park noise, but quickly becomes unnoticeable as your camping or picnicing adventure begins. It lulls campers to sleep.


The canyon steals the show. Kids of all ages love to crawl along the canyon's rocks and get a closer look at the water and canyon pools. It is safe, although falling rock has plagued the canyon in 2006. When the water isn't too powerful a deep pool of water forms at the base of the canyon. Some hearty folks like to dive in, while others like to take advantage of the migrating pink salmon later in the year.


There are three hiking trails to take advantage of.

One is a short gravel trail that sneaks behind campsites and goes up river to the picnic site and canyon. It hardly should be classified as a hike, but it is popular with the very young and very old.


The most popular hike is an easy 1km uphill climb to the viewpoint over looking the canyon. Once on top you can meander off on several different trails, most of which lead you back to the river. It isn't hard to find the trail that takes you to the entrance of the canyon itself. You just have to follow the noise of water. The water is at its most powerful at this entry point, and is something to be seen.


There was a time when there was no fencing at the top of the trail, so the old trails on the other side of the fencing that sneak dangerously close to the canyon are tempting. I personally have gone out of bounds many times, but be aware - the fencing is there for a reason. I don't have all the details, but a couple kids fell to their deaths somewhere along the line.

Don't be stupid. Be especially weary if the ground is wet. The old trails are growing over with moss. The view may be enticing, but not worth your own memorial marker.


The other trail is a trail I have not yet done. It is the Bornite Mountain Trail which actually begins just outside of the provincial park. When you turn off the highway you will see two roads, one leading to the park and a dirt road going up to where some houses are. That road quickly turns into a de-activated logging road which started out as an old mining road. At approximately 4.5 km there is a well marked turnoff for the Bornite Mountain hiking trail. The trail is said to be easy and 4 km return. The trail follows old mining road to the site of an abandoned placer gold operation. Some artifacts of interest from the old Cassiar Hydraulic Mining Company remain in the area. Along the way, hikers get a view down into the Kleanza Creek Canyon.


Why was there a placer gold operation there in the first place? Kleanza is the Gitxsan word for gold. A mini gold rush heavily influenced the early history of the park. Placer mining was first carried out on the creek in the late 1890s when men shoveled gravel from the bars into sluice boxes. This process proved unsatisfactory because there was too much water in the creek and the bedrock was too deep for handwork.

While there hasn't been any notable gold mining here for decades, you will see the odd person panning for some gold. It is said there is still gold in these waters, although not in any abundance like there used to be. In fact, in 1934, years after the original gold rush, a 180 gram nugget was taken from the creek.