The Interior Mountains or Northern Interior Mountains are the semi-official names for an expansive collection of mountain ranges that comprises much of the northern half of the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
and a large area of southern
Yukon
Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
.
There are four main groupings, the
Skeena,
Cassiar and
Omineca Mountains
The Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote mountain ranges in the Boreal Cordillera of north-central British Columbia, Canada. They are bounded by the Finlay River on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench (here fil ...
to the north of the
Interior Plateau
The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of the Interior of British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west.''Landforms of Bri ...
between the
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...
to the west and the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
to the east, and the
Hazelton Mountains along the Interior Plateau's northwestern flank against the Coast Mountains, extending from the
Bulkley Ranges south to the
Bella Coola River. Included within the Interior Mountains system is the
Stikine Plateau, which contains a number of sub-plateaus and various mountain ranges and is located west of the Cassiars, north of the Skeenas, and to the east of the
Boundary Ranges
The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. They begin at the Nass River, near the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle in the Canadian pro ...
of the Coast Mountains.
Most of the thousands of summits in the Interior Mountains are unnamed, and they are mostly uninhabited and undeveloped.
Etymology
The terms ''Interior Mountains'' and ''Northern Interior Mountains'' were coined by British Columbia government geographer Stuart Holland in the course of writing his ''Landforms of British Columbia'', which is a definitive volume on the province's topography and
toponymy
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper na ...
written in 1964. This work is used as the basis for official toponymies such as those in the provincial gazette and the
British Columbia Geographic Names Information System Database (BCGNIS), which is the official registry of the province's geographic names.
The term Interior Mountains, used by Holland throughout his work and as a chapter heading describing the mountain system in question, is not present in the Geographical Names Database despite being a chapter heading and appearing on Holland's map of the province's landform systems. He suggests, also, the term "Northern Interior Mountains", partly because the mountain system is in a region also known as the
Northern Interior, but also to potentially distinguish this mountain system from mountain ranges farther south in the province's Interior, including those of the
Interior Plateau
The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of the Interior of British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west.''Landforms of Bri ...
. In his exegesis, he decided on "Interior Mountains" for reasons of brevity.
Component ranges and plateaus
Major mountain ranges and plateaus that are considered part of the Interior Mountains are included.
Cassiar Mountains
*
Dease Plateau
*
Kechika Ranges
*
Sifton Ranges
*
Stikine Ranges
Hazelton Mountains
*
Bulkley Ranges
*
Kispiox Range
*
Nass Ranges
*
Pattullo Range
*
Tahtsa Ranges
Omineca Mountains
The Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote mountain ranges in the Boreal Cordillera of north-central British Columbia, Canada. They are bounded by the Finlay River on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench (here fil ...
*
Finlay Ranges
*
Hogem Ranges
*
Metsantan Range
*
Samuel Black Range
*
Swannell Ranges
*
Tatlatui Range
Skeena Mountains
*
Atna Range
*
Babine Range
*
Bait Range
*
Driftwood Range
*
Klappan Range
*
Oweegee Range
*
Sicintine Range
*
Slamgeesh Range
*
Strata Range
*
Takla Range
Stikine Plateau
*
Kawdy Plateau
*
Nahlin Plateau
The Nahlin Plateau is a plateau in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located between the Sheslay River and Tuya River on the west and east and the Nahlin River and the Stikine River to the north and south. It is a subplateau of the Stikine P ...
*
Spatsizi Plateau
*
Tagish Highland (NB sometimes defined as part of the
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...
)
*
Tahltan Highland
The Tahltan Highland is an upland area of plateau and relatively lower mountain ranges in British Columbia, Canada, lying east of the Boundary Ranges and south of the Inklin River (the east fork of the Taku River). Its eastern boundary is formed ...
(NB sometimes defined as part of the
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...
)
*
Taku Plateau (NB sometimes defined as part of the
Yukon Plateau)
*
Tanzilla Plateau
Parks and protected areas
*
Boya Lake Provincial Park
*
Dall River Old Growth Provincial Park
*
Denetiah Provincial Park
*
Dune Za Keyih Provincial Park and Protected Area
*
Horneline Creek Provincial Park
Horneline Creek Provincial Park is a List of British Columbia provincial parks, provincial park in far northern British Columbia, Canada. It is located west of the Kechika River about 130 km south of Lower Post, British Columbia, Lower Post ...
*
Hyland River Provincial Park
*
Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park
*
Mount Edziza Provincial Park
Mount Edziza Provincial Park is a provincial park in Cassiar Land District of northern British Columbia, Canada. It was established on 27 July 1972 to showcase the Mount Edziza volcanic complex and the surrounding Tahltan Highland.
Geography
The ...
*
Rainbow Alley Provincial Park
*
Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park
*
Stikine River Provincial Park
The Stikine River Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia. The park covers a total area of approximately . The main feature of the Stikine River Provincial Park is a portion of the Stikine River
The Stikine River ( ) is a ma ...
*
Todagin South Slope Provincial Park
*
Tuya Mountains Provincial Park
Proposed protected areas
*
Sacred Headwaters
See also
*
Interior Plateau
The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of the Interior of British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west.''Landforms of Bri ...
References
*S. Holland, ''Landforms of British Columbia'', Province of British Columbia, 1976
{{Interior Mountains
Northern Interior of British Columbia
Mountain ranges of British Columbia
Mountain ranges of Yukon