Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park

Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park is a compact protected site in north-central British Columbia preserving fossil-bearing shale exposures from the early Eocene. The park is noted for exceptionally preserved fish, plant and insect fossils.

The fossil beds where whole fish and delicate plant impressions occur in fine-grained rock, and the short interpretive trails and picnic spots near the exposures. The park is small and visited mostly by people interested in paleontology and natural history.

The fossil-bearing shales were deposited in a lake environment during the Eocene and have been studied by paleontologists for the information they provide on early Cenozoic ecosystems. The park is managed to protect these non-renewable scientific resources.

Driftwood Canyon lies in the inland interior of British Columbia in a forested, valley landscape of the Bulkley region; the nearest communities are in the broader north-central BC area.

• Eocene fossils: Fossils found here date to the early Eocene, roughly 50 million years ago, and include whole fish specimens preserved in fine-grained shale.
• Visitor rules: The site is small and has fragile deposits; collecting is prohibited and visitors should follow posted rules to protect the material.

What to See #

• Fossil beds: Exposed shale fossil beds where exceptionally preserved Eocene fossils of fish, plants and insects have been found; access is regulated to protect specimens.
• Day-use area and trails: A small day-use area with short trails and picnic spots that provide views over the fossil exposures and surrounding forested slopes.