Cascade Recreation Area

The Cascade Recreation Area is a remote and rugged wilderness park that is very under developed and equipped with few to no services. It is an adventure destination located north of Hope, BC for those who seek a truly wilderness experience when exploring in British Columbia, Canada.

The Cascade Recreation Area was first established in 1987 to protect the sensitive eco systems, rivers and wildlife habitat in the region. The 11,858 hectare wilderness green space park protects the Leeward Pacific Ranges, a section of the Cascade Mountains and the headwaters of the Skagit and Similkameen Rivers.

The untouched forests, alpine meadows and peaks, wetlands and the river valleys are, also, the seasonal home to the Rocky Mountain Elk Herd. Other wildlife in the park include deer, bear, elk, moose, cougar, coyote, wolf, beaver, chipmunk, great blue heron, kingfisher, eagle and owl.

The Cascade recreation area is popular for many long haul adventures. Some of the activities like backpacking, fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding are enjoyed during the summer months. Mountain biking is only permitted on designated trails in the northeast section of the park.

During the winter season snowmobiling is the prime winter activity in the Cascade Recreation Area. However... snowmobiling is only permitted in the Granite Mountain area located in the northeast section of the park.

The Cascade Recreation Area forms a large portion of the northern boundary of the EC Manning Provincial Park. Many of the recreation routes starting in the northern section of Manning Park extend into the Cascade Recreation Area.

Most of the trails which explore the Cascade Recreation Area measure from 12 to 40 kilometres. Some of the more popular trails include the Dewdney Trail, Warburton Trail, Hope Pass Trail, Nicomen Trail, Whatcom Trail and the Wells Lake Trail. The Dewdney and Hope Pass Trailhead entrances are located in Manning Park on Highway 3.

The trail network in the area is very challenging and the routes lack maintenance and services. Multi day trails connect to wilderness campsites in the park. There are 7 wilderness camps including the Snass, Warburton, Tulameen, Salt Lick, Marmot City, Fido and Hubbard Camps. Most wilderness campsites include a tenting area, food cache pole, fire pits and pit toilets.

Being that the Cascade Recreation Area is very well known as a horseback riding destination there are a few camps with horse corrals and hitching rails (Warburton, Tulameen and Hubbard Camps). A major staging area for suiting up for a horseback riding adventure is located in the Cascade Recreation Area parking lot at the Dewdney Trail parking lot in Manning Park.

The Cascade Recreation Area is an adventure destination for the experienced explorer. It is important to prepare with good equipment and have a good knowledge of weather conditions and experience with wilderness outdoor skills.