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northward.NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Walks · Valemount & Mount Robson · Valemount / Mount Robson

George Hicks Park

Short marsh path beside Swift Creek salmon viewpoint.

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

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Distance
0.6 kmRound trip
Elevation gain
Not establishedLittle climb indicated by the terrain model (under 10 m); exact gain is unresolved.
Walking time
5–10 minutesplus wildlife-viewing stops
Difficulty
EasyOut and back
How the elevation gain was established

Outing: out-and-back outing from Swift Creek side of George Hicks Park to Visitor-centre side of the wetland trail and back; 0.57 km along the mapped itinerary

Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo (90 m resolution). v7-smoothed-ascent-1: interpolate retained terrain samples at 100 m spacing; apply one triangular 1:2:1 smoothing pass over ±100 m; preserve start, finish and documented turnaround heights; sum uphill excursions with a 5 m reversal threshold; round to nearest 10 m.

Approximate terrain-model ascent, not a field or GPS measurement. Coarse cells and smoothing can miss small climbs, switchbacks, structures and sharp terrain. Processing sensitivity is not a statistical confidence interval.

Sources checked 2026-10-19.

Swift Creek at George Hicks Regional Park in Valemount
Swift Creek at George Hicks Regional Park in Valemount, photographed near sunset on 22 May 2022.Swift Creek, George Hicks Regional Park, in Valemount, BC (opens original source) · Soubhik Chakrabarti, courtesy icytales.com · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2022-05-22. Provider display size downloaded; no local edits. Display may crop the view.

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Elevation profile

Full round trip · approximately 0.6 km mapped

Complete out-and-back elevation profile, starting at Swift Creek side of George Hicks Park, reaching Visitor-centre side of the wetland trail, and returning to the start750 m775 m800 mOutwardReturn0 km0.1 km0.3 km0.4 km0.6 km
StartSwift Creek side of George Hicks Park0.3 km · turn aroundVisitor-centre side of the wetland trail0.6 km · back at startSwift Creek side of George Hicks Park
Explore the elevation with the chart or slider.

Approximate terrain elevation. Mapped distance may differ from the published hike distance.

Map and elevation sources

Approximate ground elevation from a 90 m terrain model. Distance follows the mapped itinerary and may differ from published walking distance. This is a terrain-model profile, not a surveyed measurement. Any ascent total is identified separately with its own source or estimation method.

The local guide’s trailhead coordinate is on the Swift Creek side,16m from the named salmon-viewing trail. The opposite end reaches the visitor-centre side, corroborated by the mapped Valemount Visitor Centre building. A return along this short wetland corridor is0.574km, consistent with the guide’s600m outing. No additional salmon-platform or village sidewalk paths are included.

Route source 1Route source 2Route source 3Route source 4Route source 5

Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · checked 2026-10-18 · CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework. Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/619343191. Sampled and rounded for display.

Complete mapped outing from Swift Creek side of George Hicks Park, including the return on the same route. Line source (opens original source).

Getting there & parking

From Valemount Visitor Centre, follow the salmon-viewing signs downhill toward Swift Creek for about 250 m. Parking is described beside the creek near the highway overpass, with the northern trail entrance at that lot. A second entrance lies just below the visitor centre; use the signed paths rather than the highway shoulder.

Estimated drive from Prince George: 3 hr 58 min · 292.1 km. Modeled one-way driving time from Prince George City Hall, using mapped road speeds. Forest-road sections can take substantially longer: surface, clearance, radio procedures, gates, washouts, plowing, and legal access are not verified by the router. No live traffic or invented forest-road multiplier is included. Allow extra time and check the dated access notes.

Open driving directions →

Map position: 52.83358, -119.28187 · trailhead. source-published; not field-verified

On the trail

Follow the short wetland path between the visitor-centre side and the Swift Creek salmon-viewing area. The return outing is about 600 m with little overall climbing. The route offers close views of marsh habitat, including small birds, amphibians and insects, and the adjacent platform provides a place to watch salmon without entering the creek. Chinook viewing is usually best from mid-August into mid-September. Wet periods can leave muddy sections, so a short distance does not guarantee a firm walking surface throughout.

Accessibility

YORA lists the route as accessible, but reports grades around 10% and muddy patches after rain. The Visitor Centre has the nearest public bathroom.

Conditions & seasons

The local guide recommends spring through autumn for ordinary walking. Wetland conditions can be muddy after rain, and mosquitoes are common in warm weather. Salmon timing varies; the published viewing window is seasonal rather than a guarantee for a particular day.

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

On-route camping permission has not been established for this outing. Check the relevant land manager before planning an overnight stay; a mapped lake, cabin or previous tent location does not confirm permission.

Photos of George Hicks Park

Swift Creek at George Hicks Regional Park in Valemount
Swift Creek at George Hicks Regional Park in Valemount, photographed near sunset on 22 May 2022.Swift Creek, George Hicks Regional Park, in Valemount, BC (opens original source) · Soubhik Chakrabarti, courtesy icytales.com · CC BY 2.0 (opens original source) · 2022-05-22. Provider display size downloaded; no local edits. Display may crop the view.

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 mapComplete mapped outing and source locationsElevation sheetProfile of the complete mapped outingSave 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://hikevalemount.com/george-hicks-park/ (opens original source)
  2. https://routing.openstreetmap.de/about.html (opens original source)
  3. https://open-meteo.com/en/licence (opens original source)
  4. https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/elevation-api (opens original source)
OpenStreetMap line references (4)

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

  1. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/619343191 (opens original source)
  2. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1534659193 (opens original source)
  3. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1534659194 (opens original source)
  4. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/545527230 (opens original source)

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