A collection of photographs from British Columbia's North.

Aerial image of Happy Lake, in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. A large remote park in British Columbia's Northwest. — *Happy Lake, in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

I try to make a habit of saying yes to adventures, no matter the logistics. Being a bit of a Type A personality, my first questions are usually “How? When? What?” but I’ve learned that saying yes first and figuring out the rest later has always led to the best experiences.

So when the question came up of whether I’d like to visit Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, the answer was simple.

While my answer was simple, the travel getting into Spatsizi is anything but. Rarely photographed and not often visited, the park is in the northwest of British Columbia and is one of the largest in the province. Incredibly remote and spanning 1.6 million acres, a close comparison in size would be Banff National Park, though it’s nowhere near the same scale in visitor numbers- not to mention challenging to access.

In August 2026, I drove north to Smithers, trying my best to catch a last-minute flight into the sublime wilderness of Spatsizi. The mode of transportation in and out of the park is by float plane. I was lucky enough to join one of the guided fly fishing trips to Spatsizi Lodge and experience this vast landscape firsthand.

An aerial perspective of a rainbow over the outflow of Stalk Lakes, in Tatlatui Provincial Park within Northern British Columbia. — *Stalk Lakes, in Tatlatui Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Small lakes and greenery near Chapea Peak, in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, in the northwest of BC — *Lakes in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

A Fly-fisherman casts out a line in Kitchener Lake within Tatlatui Provincial Park, a remote area of Northwestern British Columbia, Canada — *Casting out a line in Kitchener Lake. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

A fisherman releases a rainbow trout underwater in Tatlatui Lake, within Tatlatui Provincial Park in Northwest British Columbia, Canada. — *Rainbow Trout in Tatlatui Lake. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

A fisherman casts out his line into the outflow of Tatlatui Lake, within the remote wilderness of Tatlatui Provincial Park in Northwest British Columbia, Canada on a summer day — *Guide Dawson Schwarz. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Early morning fog burning off on the mountainside near Ella Lake, a remote lake within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park in Northwest British Columbia, Canada — *Early morning fog at Ella Lake, in Spatsizi Plateau Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

After setting off from Smithers with Alpine Lakes Air, the first thing I noticed on the flight to our home base at the headwaters of the Stikine River and Laslui Lake, was the complete absence of roads as we flew for hundreds of kilometres. In their place was an abundance of waterways interconnecting the landscape. Winding rivers, creeks lined with beaver dams, waterfalls, bogs, and ponds filled my field of view, through each new valley or high meadow we flew over.

It was particularly interesting to learn that one of the locations we visited sits near the headwaters of the Firesteel River, which runs into the Finlay and onward to the Mackenzie before emptying into the Arctic Ocean, while the Spatsizi, Klappan, and Stikine Rivers all flow west into the Pacific.

We also flew over Gladys Lake, part of an ecological reserve within the park, whose water drains into the Spatsizi River. The scale of the geography here was overwhelming

An aerial perspective of Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, a protected area for Stones Sheep in Northwest BC — *Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve, within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

An aerial photograph of the Duti River meandering through the valley in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, British Columbia , in the summer season — *Duti River and Valley. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Early morning light on Spatsizi Lodge on the shores of Laslui Lake, framed in vibrant pink fireweed — *Spatsizi Lodge, and the abundant fireweed. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

A clear blue day and the reflections on Ella Lake, a remote body of water within Spatsizi Plateau Provincial Park, British Columbia — *Ella Lake, in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

I’m told the park’s name comes from the Sekani language and the phrase for red goat, after the iron rich mountain slopes that are part of their habitat. The park was originally established to protect the landscape from development and to preserve the large mammal populations that call it home. Caribou, grizzly and black bears, moose, Stone’s sheep, and mountain goats traverse the rising plateau and far winding valleys here.

We spent the majority of our time split between Spatsizi and Tatlatui Provincial Park.

I got to explore the waterways with the guides, flying over some of the large lakes and mountain peaks, and trying my hand at fly fishing, then finishing each night at Laslui Lake and Spatsizi Lodge.

An aerial perspective of greenery and Trygve Creek, in Tatlatui Provincial Park — *Trygve Creek in Tatlatui Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

A sparrow flies over Laslui Lake on a foggy morning, in the wilderness of Spatsizi Plateau Provincial Park, near the upper Stikine River — *Laslui Lake, within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

A black and white aerial image of the rugged mountainside of the Eaglenest Range in Spatsizi Provincial Park — *The Eaglenest Range in Spatsizi Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

A rainbow aerial image above Red Crag Mountain, in Tatlatui Provincial Park in the northwest of BC — *Red Crag, in Tatlatui Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

During my time at Laslui Lake, I kept hoping for some clear skies and some potential for Northern Lights.

On the last night at camp, we got lucky with a night of zero clouds and the forecast for an aurora display. As soon as blue hour began, a band of green slowly grew on the horizon. It was so special to watch the lights dance in the North. I stayed up late with my camera, photographing on the shores of Laslui Lake until the fog rose up and obscured the night sky.

Bright northern lights dancing over Laslui Lake and a Cessna 185 float plane in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park on a clear summer night. — *Laslui Lake, the Cessna 185 and the Northern Lights. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Vibrant display of Northern Lights dancing over a cessna 185 plane on Laslui Lake, at Spatsizi Lodge in the Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park, in Northern BC — *Laslui Lake in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, and the Northern Lights. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

After a week exploring this land, I felt incredibly grateful for the chance to capture it through my camera. A week still wasn’t nearly enough time to explore the nooks and crannies of Spatsizi. Maybe one day, travels will bring me back.

Canoe paddling the upper Stikine River in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park on a summer day — *Canoeing on the Upper Stikine River. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

The textures of rock and grasses in the northern boreal landscape of Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, in Northern BC — *Mountain Textures. Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Rugged Mountainside captured from the window of a plane in Tatlatui Provincial Park, Northern BC — *Skeena Mountains, Northern BC. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

antler rack at a remote hunting cabin near Ella Lake, in the wilderness of the Spatsizi Plateau of Northern British Columbia — *Hunting Cabin in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

An aerial photograph of Kitchener Lake within Tatlatui Provincial Park, in Northern BC on a stormy day — *Kitchener Lake, Tatlatui Provincial Park in Northern BC. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Northern Boreal forest in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, in northern BC — *Landscape of the northern boreal forest, within Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Aerial capture of a rainbow over the waters of Rognaas Creek, outflowing from Kitchener Lake in Tatlatui Provincial Park — Rognaas Creek and Kitchener Lake. Photo: Ashley Voykin

*Tatlatui Lake, northern British Columbia. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

The winding waters of the Spatsizi River in Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, captured as an aerial from a plane — *The winding waters of the Spatsizi River, Northern BC. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Storm Clouds over the mountain peaks of Tatlatui Provincial Park in Northern BC — *Meadow near Kitchener Lake, within Tatlatui Provincial Park. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Black and white photograph of a cessna 185 float plane coming in to land on Tatlatui Lake, within Tatlatui Provincial Park in Northern British Columbia — *Cessna 185 over Tatlatui Lake. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Black and white aerial of a glacier on the sloes of Mt.Will, a peak within the Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve and Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park — *Glacier on Mt.Will, in Gladys Lake Ecological Reserve. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Thank you to the staff at Spatsizi Lodge for their wonderful hospitality and for sharing their knowledge and love of this beautiful place with me. It was great to get to know the staff and skilled guides who work at the lodge during my time there.

A pilot and guide poses with the cessna 185 at Laslui Lake — *Tim. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Pilot Kole Harle at Laslui Lake — *Kole, Pilot. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

Portrait of Guide at Spatsizi Lodge — *Dawson, Guide. Photo: Ashley Voykin*

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The Spatsizi Plateau

A collection of photographs from British Columbia's North.

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