Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park

This wilderness park contains spectacular scenery and outstanding historical, cultural and spiritual values. It protects the entire Stein River watershed, in addition to preserving the First Nation’s history of the area. The Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park is user-maintained, with 150 km of hiking trails and routes, cable crossings, a suspension bridge and several wilderness campgrounds.

The park offers limited opportunities for easy day hikes (primarily in the lower valley) and extensive opportunities for multiple night backpacking trips over moderate to difficult terrain. Visitors must be self-sufficient and prepared for all conditions.

The Stein Wardens (Lytton First Nation members) and BC Parks rangers continue to maintain the park and enhance the users’ experiences. Follow their direction and adhere to posted signs.

• Do not underestimate the demands of hiking the full length of the valley. Routes out of the valley include steep ascents and descents. Rugged terrain and deadfalls across the trail can significantly lengthen the amount of travel time required. Allow extra time to complete your trip.
• Weather changes quickly here. You may experience sun, rain and snow all on the same day. Be prepared. Sudden storms can cause white-out conditions and necessitate travel by compass, particularly at higher elevations. 
• Solid route-finding skills are a necessity. Sections of some trails may be wet, steep or difficult to see. Bring appropriate footwear, a good map and compass and watch carefully for trail markers.
• The park is far from medical help. Bring a good first aid kit and exercise caution.
• The park can be extremely dry with high wildfire risk. Take utmost caution if using any cooking appliances. It is best to bring food with you that does not need any cooking or heating. 
• Grizzly bears, black bears, and cougars roam throughout the park but are not often seen. Avoid encounters by making noise as you hike, and keeping your food and garbage in a food cache or hoisted up a tree. For more information, please read wildlife safety.
• Leave your dog at home. They can harass wildlife and other hikers, bring you face-to-face with an angry bear, or damage areas by digging. Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park is an area of cultural significance. All values need to be conserved in their natural state as much as possible. If you do bring your dog, keep them under control, discourage digging behaviour anywhere in the park, and clean up after them.

The following is prohibited in this park:

• Campfires. Bring a camp stove for cooking.
• Vehicles. Access the park on foot only. Mechanized vehicles, including 4x4s, ATVs, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, helicopters and float-planes are not allowed.
• Horses
• Touching or tampering with any pictographs, petroglyphs, or culturally modified trees. Contact between these artifacts and your fingers transfers oils and acids which damage them. In some cases these pictographs have existed for several thousand years. Please join us in protecting them for future generations. It is an offence under the Park Act to damage or destroy any park resource, including cultural artifacts. 

Park use permit applicants: 

The Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park is co-managed via a Stein Management Board between BC Parks and the Lytton First Nation. In order for a Park Use permit application to be considered by BC Parks, the application must be reviewed and agreed upon by the Lytton First Nation prior to submission. If an application is received by BC Parks proof of discussions with the Lytton First Nation will be required as part of the application process.

The park lies west of Lytton and approximately 185 km southwest of Kamloops or 290 km northeast of Vancouver, both via Highway 1. 

The main trailhead is located on the west side of the Fraser River by Lytton, accessed by crossing the Lytton Ferry. The ferry is usually closed for periods from late May to early July because of high water. Check the Drive BC website before heading out. After disembarking from the ferry, follow the road to the right for 4.8 km to the junction with the Stein Valley Road (marked). Turn left and follow it to the parking lot.

The park boundary follows the watershed boundary for approximately 195 km along a continuous line of summits and ridges.

Alternative access to the main Stein Valley trailhead is available via the Westside Road south from Lillooet, on the west side of the Fraser River. This is a slow two to three hour drive on a rough dirt road. There is also a pedestrian walkway along the CN railway bridge that crosses the Fraser River south of Lytton. The trailhead is roughly 8 km north from the west end of the bridge. Other trailheads for accessing the park are located at Lizzie Lake, Blowdown Pass and Texas Creek.

Road condition enquiries

VSA Highway Maintenance Ltd. 
1-888-315-0025 or 1-250-315-0166 
Fax: 1-250-315-0169