Lillooet Icecap facts for kids

The Lillooet Icecap, also known as the Lillooet Icefield, is a huge area of ice and snow in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Think of it like a giant, frozen crown on top of the mountains! It's located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) northwest of the towns of Pemberton and Whistler. It's also about 175 kilometers (109 miles) north of Vancouver.

The Lillooet Icecap is one of the biggest icefields in the Pacific Ranges. These ranges have some of the largest icefields in the world that are not near the North or South Poles. At its widest, including its long "tongues" of ice (glaciers), it stretches about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from east to west and 20 kilometers (12 miles) from north to south. The main part of the icefield is roughly 15 kilometers (9 miles) across.

Rivers from the Icecap

The Lillooet Icecap is super important because it's where several major rivers begin. Imagine a wheel, with the rivers flowing out like spokes!

• The Lillooet River starts from the Lillooet Glacier on the south side of the icefield. It flows southeast, past Pemberton, and into Harrison Lake.
• The Bridge River comes from the Bridge Glacier on the east side. It flows east towards the town of Lillooet.
• On the north side, you'll find the beginnings of the Taseko River (which flows into the Chilcotin River), the Lord and Tchaikazan Rivers (which also join the Taseko), and the Edmond River. The Edmond River flows into Chilko Lake, which is the source of the Chilko River. Like the Taseko, the Chilko River also joins the Chilcotin River.
• On the west side of the icecap, the Southgate River starts. It flows to Waddington Harbour at the end of Bute Inlet. The Toba River also begins here and flows into Toba Inlet.

Interesting Facts

There's a special area on the southwest side of the icefield called Ring Pass. This is where the Lillooet and Southgate Rivers are separated. Long ago, people thought about building the Canadian Pacific Railway through this pass.

However, a survey team led by a man named Stanley Smith went missing there and was never found. To remember them, two glaciers in the middle of the Lillooet Icecap are named the Stanley Smith Glacier and the Frank Smith Glacier.

Just southwest of Ring Pass is another big ice area called the Compton Névé. The Lillooet Icecap and Compton Névé are actually connected, forming one huge mass of ice. But because they are two distinct mountain areas with lower elevation and active glacier movement in Ring Pass, they are usually thought of as separate icefields.

Images for kids

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