Chinook, coho and pink salmon also spawn in the Adams River, but it is the sockeye that challenge the imagination in their teeming millions. In crimson spawning colours, the males and females pair and play out the ritual that culminates their lives. Other races of sockeye swim to the Adams River in intervening years, to other tributaries of the Fraser River and to other river systems, but the spawning of the dominant cycle run is a spectacle like none other.

The 2,440-acre (988-hectare) Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park encompasses the entire length of the Adams River, with an excellent interpretive area that explains the whole phenomenal trek. The next dominant run will be in 2002 - the exact dates of the late summer–early fall salmon run depend on temperature, rainfall, and water levels. Many wild critters live in this park, among them bears, beavers, and river otters.

In Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, angling for rainbow trout, dolly varden, and whitefish is popular, with the canyon and the Adams River mouth being among the most productive sites. Anglers should note that the Adams River is closed to salmon fishing year-round, and in spring is also closed to rainbow trout fishing. For more information on licences, openings, and regulations, contact the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officer in Vernon, (250) 549-5558, or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Salmon Arm, (250) 832-8037.

To get to Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, travel east on Highway 1 from Kamloops for 41 miles (66 km) to Monte Creek. Follow the signs north to Squilax. The park is about 3 miles (5 km) north of here.

If you want to see the salmon run at its best, or for more information, including a detailed map, call BC Parks’ district office, 1210 McGill Rd in Kamloops, (250) 851-3000.

Nearest Town: Chase, Sorrento, North Shuswap

Nearest Lake: Adams Lake, Shuswap Lake, Little Shuswap Lake

Nearest Park: Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park