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northward.NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Waterfalls · Upper Fraser & Sugarbowl · Highway 16 East

Ancient Forest

Cedar-forest paths include a waterfall and an accessible boardwalk; the accessible section needs separate length and grade data.

Sources reviewed . This is a research date, not a trail inspection.

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Distance
2.4 kmTrip basis unconfirmed
Elevation gain
Not establishedThe source lists 105 m, but its relationship to a complete selected outing is not established.
Walking time
1 - 3 hours
Difficulty
EasyThere and Back and Loop Trails
Wooden boardwalk descending through the Ancient Forest
Wooden boardwalk descending through the Ancient Forest.Ancient forest, Rocky Mountains region east of Prince George, BC (1).jpg (opens original source) · Kevin M Klerks from Kincardine, Canada · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2013-09-16 19:33. Original image downloaded without editing; display may crop the view.

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Elevation profile

A full-route elevation profile is not available yet. The mapped paths have not been verified as one continuous outing.

Choose a specific route where available. Individual map fragments are not shown as separate hike stages.

Mapped trail network. The mapped Big Tree, Treebeard, waterfall, universal-boardwalk and connecting park footways are shown as a network. Source gaps remain visible. The distinct Driscoll Ridge hike is excluded. Line source (opens original source).

Getting there & parking

Drive east from Prince George on Highway 16 for about 115 km, or west from McBride for approximately 103 km, to the signed Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut park entrance. Turn into the main visitor parking area on the south side of the highway. This is the boardwalk access; the separate Driscoll Ridge approach farther west serves a strenuous mountain route.

park entrance. Source-published approximate distance from Prince George; not a current routed travel time.

115 km from town in the source description. park entrance. Source-published approximate distance from Prince George; not a current routed travel time.

Map position: 53.76284, -121.21706 · historical published trailhead / parking area (2010). Ancient Cedar Forest parking lot: 53 45.7702 N, 121 13.0235 W (degrees and decimal minutes), PDF page 2. 2010 parking location. Park entrance has since been redeveloped; this marks the historical published access area, not a field-verified current parking bay. The tourism-hosted guide identifies itself as a research copy and says access, trails and amenities have not been updated. Coordinate provenance is verified; current access is not.

On the trail

Follow the signed boardwalk network through the inland cedar rainforest, using the junction signs for the large named trees and waterfall. BC Parks gives 2.3 km for its forest boardwalk route, while the club description uses a roughly 2 km base outing plus side paths. Choose the waterfall and tree branches you want to visit, then follow the signed return to the visitor area. Wet boards and stairs can be slippery; the separate 450 m universal-access boardwalk does not establish that every branch of this longer walk is wheelchair suitable.

Terrain: boardwalk.

Accessibility

The universal-access boardwalk is a separate 450 m one-way section. The entire forest-and-waterfall outing is not represented as wheelchair accessible.

Distance and elevation source notes

About 2 km but side trails add about 400 m

105 m

The Ramblers description says approximately 2.5 km, whereas its metric panel says about 2 km plus roughly 400 m of side paths. The separately sourced boardwalk options use their own lengths.

Source comparison: Published itinerary; 2 km; Main route; source return basis unstated scope. This describes the main outing, or an unresolved source estimate, rather than a separate route.

Source comparison: Ancient Forest Boardwalk Trail; 2.3 km; published boardwalk trail length; chosen branches change actual outing scope. This is another description of the main outing, a duplicate endpoint, an unscoped source claim, or a related facility.

Conditions & seasons

BC Parks describes winter snowshoeing on the forest boardwalk, with limited winter parking. Snow-covered boards and the availability of parking change the outing; the summer accessibility description does not guarantee a cleared winter surface.

Winter route

BC Parks describes snowshoe access on the forest boardwalk, with limited winter parking. A summer accessible-boardwalk designation does not establish a snow-cleared winter route.

These are dated research notes. Open the trip planner for current available weather and advisory feeds; no alert found does not establish that a trail or road is open.

Check weather & available updates →

Camping & overnight plans

Overnight camping is prohibited in both the Ancient Forest and Driscoll Ridge parking lots. BC Parks directs campers to Purden Lake, roughly 50 km west. Campfires are prohibited in the Ancient Forest park.

Photos of Ancient Forest

Wooden boardwalk descending through the Ancient Forest
Wooden boardwalk descending through the Ancient Forest.Ancient forest, Rocky Mountains region east of Prince George, BC (1).jpg (opens original source) · Kevin M Klerks from Kincardine, Canada · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2013-09-16 19:33. Original image downloaded without editing; display may crop the view.
Boardwalk in Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park
Boardwalk in Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial ParkBoardwalk Through Ancient Forest (246124627).jpeg (opens original source) · Gord Schindell · CC BY 3.0 (opens original source) · 2015-07-13. Existing local file displayed without additional edits in this revision; page layout may crop the image to fit.
Entrance sign for the Ancient Forest universal boardwalk
Entrance sign for the Ancient Forest universal boardwalk.Ancient forest, Rocky Mountains region east of Prince George, BC.jpg (opens original source) · Kevin M Klerks from Kincardine, Canada · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2013-09-16 19:41. Original image downloaded without editing; display may crop the view.
A boardwalk junction among old-growth trees in Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut
A boardwalk junction among old-growth trees in Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut.Ancient forest, Rocky Mountains region east of Prince George, BC (2).jpg (opens original source) · Kevin M Klerks from Kincardine, Canada · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2013-09-16 19:34. Original image downloaded without editing; display may crop the view.
Long boardwalk section through Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut
Long boardwalk section through Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut.Ancient forest, Rocky Mountains region east of Prince George, BC (3).jpg (opens original source) · Kevin M Klerks from Kincardine, Canada · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2013-09-16 19:33. Original image downloaded without editing; display may crop the view.
Rain-wet boardwalk beneath cedars in Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut
Rain-wet boardwalk beneath cedars in Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut.Ancient forest, Rocky Mountains region east of Prince George, BC (4).jpg (opens original source) · Kevin M Klerks from Kincardine, Canada · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2013-09-16 19:34. Original image downloaded without editing; display may crop the view.
Ancient Forest trail entrance and interpretation panels beside the access area
Ancient Forest trail entrance and interpretation panels beside the access area.Ancient forest, Rocky Mountains region east of Prince George, BC (5).jpg (opens original source) · Kevin M Klerks from Kincardine, Canada · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2013-09-16 19:41. Original image downloaded without editing; display may crop the view.
Entrance to Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park
Entrance to Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park.Eingang zum Ancient Forest Provincial Park.jpg (opens original source) · Pam.schulz · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens original source) · 2017-08-22 21:44:25. Wikimedia thumbnail downloaded; Wikimedia resized the original. Display may crop the view. Any adapted CC BY-SA version retains that image license.
Large cedar in the Ancient Forest area
Large cedar in the Ancient Forest area.Gigantic Cedar in Block 486 - panoramio.jpg (opens original source) · Lub0t · CC BY 3.0 (opens original source) · Taken on 13 August 2007. Wikimedia thumbnail downloaded; Wikimedia resized the original. Display may crop the view.

Original photo galleries

These galleries stay on their photographers’ original websites.

Take this guide with you

Choose a trip pack or an available individual sheet for your map case.

Full trip packDirections, planning notes & available mapsTopographic mapSource lines and published locationsSave offline guideDownload a copy to your device
Sources, dates & research notes

Descriptions are written for this guide from the linked evidence. Source review dates, published reports and field observations can differ. Photographs and route lines retain their own attribution and reuse terms.

  1. https://caledoniaramblers.ca/trails/ancient-forest (opens original source)
  2. https://bcparks.ca/ancient-forest-chun-toh-whudujut-park/ (opens original source)
  3. https://mcbridetourism.ca/wp-content/uploads/McBrides-Green-Guide.pdf (opens original source)
OpenStreetMap line references (13)

These contributor-mapped features support the map geometry. They are separate from the written access and route sources.

  1. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/405394809 (opens original source)
  2. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/405394810 (opens original source)
  3. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/405394812 (opens original source)
  4. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/765857078 (opens original source)
  5. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1289221674 (opens original source)
  6. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1560066371 (opens original source)
  7. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1560066372 (opens original source)
  8. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1560066373 (opens original source)
  9. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1560066374 (opens original source)
  10. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1560066375 (opens original source)
  11. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1560066376 (opens original source)
  12. https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/14190930132 (opens original source)
  13. https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/14190930142 (opens original source)

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