By Cheryl Jahn

ancient forest provincial park

Groundbreaking of Ancient Forest Enhancement Project to improve boardwalks, build interpretive centre

May 20, 2025 | 3:00 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It was a chilly Tuesday morning at the Ancient Forest, as ground was broken on a project funded back in 2019, for some big plans by the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and BC Parks for improvements to the Ancient Forest.

“So since 2019, there’s been all sorts of challenges and blockades and, of course, increases in costs and COVID-19,” explains Lheidli T’enneh Councillor Crystal Gibbs. “And then, of course, the unfortunate passing of our project coordinator, the late Karen Sharp and the late Jordan Contois. So there are all sorts of different dynamics that have kind of put a halt to the project. But we’re here, and here it begins.”

The Ancient Forest encompasses 74 kilometers of land, is home to some of the most majestic cedar trees and an average of 16,000 tourists visit the area each year. The Ancient Forest Provincial Park, known as Chun T’oh Whudujut in the Dakelh language, is one of the world’s few inalnd temperate rainforests and was saved from logging in 2005. Nowell Senior was part of the Caledonia Ramblers when the hiking club inadvertently discovered a very rare inland rain forest.

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“A small group came out and searched for nice places to ski up on Driscoll Ridge. And as we came down lower, we realized there were some big trees, and I don’t know what it was, how much it was, but a lot of trees. And as we came down more, the trees got bigger.”

The first stage of the project is to improve the 450-metre-long universal access to the 2.3-kilometre-long boardwalk and the waterfall viewing area.

“We’ve completed the design phase. This will be our interpretive centre where we’re standing,” says Gibbs, referring to an area adjacent to the parking lot. “The next step is, of course, the walkway. We have a little bit of a shortfall in funding. So we’re going to start and go from there.”

Nowell Senior says he was apprehensive at first about the plans, but they have grown on him and he says it is a gem.

“It’s just wonderful, really. We have people coming through and buses from all over the world. We bump into it on a bus for a group of German people, and they just can’t understand how they could drive. It’s all trees,” he says with a laugh.

Ultimately, the Lheidli T’enneh have their sights on building an interpretive centre, where visitors can learn about the cultural, historical and ecological significance of the area.

“It’s going to have Lheidli T’enneh culture,” says Gibbs. “We’ll have local artists displaying their art up for sale and just a visiting space, a place where our elders can come together and just a teaching space.”

Funding for the project is 90% from the federal and provincial governments and the remaining 10% is from the Lheidli T’enneh. The original budget was $8.7 million. But with the prolonged delays, the budget has now increased to $11 million.