The vertical shaft entrance of the cave, with people for scale in red circles, can be seen in this undated photo. The arch at the back of the cave was measured at 137 metres and the black void is at least 180 metres from the upper lip.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences / J. Pollack
August 21, 2025 - 6:00 AM
What's inside a giant cave in a remote valley in Wells Gray Provincial Park remains a mystery seven years after it was discovered. No one is allowed in it and it still doesn’t have a name.
Informally called Sarlacc’s Pit for its resemblance to the lair of Sarlacc — a character from Star Wars — the cave was discovered by a Ministry of Environment helicopter crew surveying caribou populations in 2018.
It's potentially the largest stripe karst cave in the country with the largest cave entrance of 100 metres long by 60 metres wide. Stripe karst is a type of landscape where thins bands of soluble rock are layered with bands of less soluble rock that can be dissolved by water, leading to cave formation.
The depth of the cave isn't known due to the mist rising up from the river that dumps into it.
In the fall of 2018, a three-person research team led by geologist Catherine Hickson sent one person 80 metres down to study its rock formations, but the water made it dangerous to descend any further, according to a study published in 2020.
No one has been allowed to explore it since.
The cave and the Ovis Creek drainage area surrounding it was closed to the public by BC Parks soon after its discovery for potential cultural heritage value, First Nations interests and public safety. Anyone caught in the area of the cave can face a $1,000,000 fine and imprisonment under the Park Act.
“BC Parks will continue to work with First Nations to collaboratively manage the area including allowing acceptable and culturally appropriate activities,” read a statement emailed to iNFOnews.ca from the Ministry of Environment and Parks.
The cave is managed by the Simpcw First Nation and Ts’q’cun, or Canim Lake Band, the latter of which suggested it has traditional knowledge of the cave, according to the 2020 study.
The study includes aerial photographs showing the cave entrance was hidden by snowfields until a warming climate caused the snow plug to collapse sometime in the past two decades.
Since 2021, BC Parks has received a research application to explore the cave.
“We are working with First Nations to address concerns over potential impacts prior to adjudicating the permit further,” the ministry said.
The province hasn't proceeded with any reconnaissance work to date. Simpcw First Nation has done two field reconnaissance trips at the site while Canim Lake Band has done an aerial survey of the cave, however, it isn’t clear when or if any new information was collected. The ministry said the First Nations are planning a collaborative trip to the cave in the near future.
The name Sarlacc’s Pit is considered disrespectful by the local First Nations, however, they haven’t suggested a more culturally appropriate name yet.
Chance Breckenridge from Vernon is an active outdoors explorer who spends time in the Wells Gray Provincial Park. He's curious about the cave.
“I’m not sure what could possibly lie within that cave, I’m certainly interested,” he said in a previous interview with iNFOnews.ca. “I know there's archaeological potential and it’d be quite the interesting exploration if you’re a caver. I’m not much of a caver, I just like getting into tough areas like that.”
Breckenridge said he’s explored west of the area the pit is located in and the ground is difficult to traverse.
“It’s very inhospitable, it’s very tough ground in that drainage,” he said. “The route I planned for, if I ever got in there when it’s legal, would take two or three days of travel. I’d be interested to explore those areas and, yeah, who knows what’s in that big hole.”
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