A massive cave in Wells Gray Provincial Park was discovered by accident in 2018. After a short field study later that year, no one else has studied the pit since, but the public remains barred from the area.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine Hickson
January 21, 2023 - 6:00 AM
A massive and remote cave in Wells Gray Provincial Park remains blocked from the public more than four years after its discovery.
Informally dubbed the "Sarlacc's Pit," the mysterious Wells Gray cave remains largely untouched by humans since it was discovered by accident in 2018.
Despite plans for geologists to re-enter the cave in 2021, B.C. Parks said the researchers who applied withdrew their application. No one has applied to research the cave since.
Geologists who studied the cave suggested it would have "national significance," especially due to its entrance. It may even be the country's largest cave of its kind.
READ MORE: Why there’s no longer ice racing on Duck Lake in the Okanagan
"The Wells Gray cave begins with a uniquely dramatic vertical shaft of huge proportions," when comparing to similar North American caves, a study published in 2020 reads.
The entrance of the cave is a 100 metre wide pit where a waterfall drains into unknown depths below the surface.
It was spotted by biologists conducting a caribou census in the area by helicopter in 2018. The biologists informally named it the "Sarlacc's Pit" after the Star Wars creature and the likeness to its lair.
A perennial snowfield melted away, revealing a creek draining into the pit. Researchers later suggested a warming climate leading to melting snowfields and glaciers could have finally revealed the cave, which was hidden for decades before.
READ MORE: Winter blues in Kamloops or the Okanagan? You’re not alone
A three-person research team of geologists studied the pit for one day later that year, sending one person 80 metres down to try and confirm its depth and study its rock formations, according to the 2020 study. The water made it dangerous to descend any further, but the cave continued a steep drop into the earth.
The researchers, led by geologist Catherine Hickson, estimated it could be as deep at 460 metres and continue laterally more than 2 kilometres to a spring connecting with Ovis Creek.
According to B.C. Parks, two local First Nations, researchers and B.C. Parks itself came to an agreement in September 2021, but the applicants withdrew the application shortly after.
B.C. Parks closed the area around the cave off from the public in 2018 and violations can risk a fine up to $1,000,000. According to the order, the B.C. government closed the Ovis Creek drainage area because of possible "cultural heritage values" and First Nations interests, public safety risks, and the cave's possible rare and sensitive ecology.
READ MORE: Cheaper to rent a home than own one in Kamloops and most of Okanagan
B.C. Parks said in an emailed statement the "Sarlacc's Pit" name is considered disrespectful to local First Nations, nor is it "geographically appropriate."
Although it was never considered a formal name for the cave, no alternative has been decided and finding a "culturally appropriate" name is still in process, according to B.C. Parks.
The Canim Lake Indian Band suggested it has traditional knowledge of the cave, according to the 2020 study.
The Canim Lake Indian Band and the Simpcw First Nation, which also has traditional land in the area, did not respond to requests for comment from iNFOnews.ca.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2023