UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK
tumbler ridge
UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK
British Columbia
Tumbler Ridge is located on the eastern slopes of the northern Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. Within a relatively small area, the hills, mountains and valleys around Tumbler Ridge, on the eastern slopes of the northern Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, contain a remarkable variety of geological features in predominantly sedimentary rock exposures.
The Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark is notable for its remote, wilderness location, giving visitors the authentic feeling of a sparsely inhabited frontier region. It is the first Global Geopark in western North America, and therefore the first to represent the plate tectonics that have led to the formation of the Rocky Mountains.
Mountain and foothill geology spans a Precambrian to Cretaceous time range, as well as Pleistocene deposits, and preserves part of the Triassic Pangea shoreline, as well as the interchanging marine and terrestrial intervals of a fluctuating Western Interior Seaway.
This is complemented by an abundance of palaeontological phenomena, which form the basis for ongoing scientific research, exhibits and programs. Cretaceous dinosaur tracks (many of which are of global significance), a Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed with unusual features, and Triassic fishes and marine reptiles are of particular importance.
The Dinosaur Discovery Gallery in Tumbler Ridge forms a major attraction, while a network of hiking trails leads to numerous Geosites, including an abundance of spectacular waterfalls, dinosaur trackways, mountain summits, sedimentary rock formations, caves and canyons.