Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, designated on November 22,
1995, is a 107,000 hectare Provincial Park that is managed cooperatively by BC Parks and Lytton First Nation.
The Stein Valley is one of the last remaining untouched watersheds in the southwestern part of British Columbia. The Stein Valley has great historical, cultural and spiritual significance to the Lytton First Nation.

The name comes from the Nlaka'pamux word "Stagyn", which means "hidden place" referring to the fact that the valley and the extent of the watershed is not very noticeable from the Stein River's mouth on the Fraser River.

The valley has been extremely important to the Nlaka’pamux people for thousands of years, both spiritually and for sustenance. This is evinced by the large number of pictographs still visible today in various parts of the valley, ranging in size from single symbols to one of the largest pictograph sites in Canada.

One such site is Asking Rock near Stryen Creek. Here the Nlaka’pamux stop to pray and ask permission to travel the valley safely. Some make offerings of burnt sage and tobacco to accompany their prayers. Please respect the rock-paintings and do not touch them.

Conservation

The Stein Valley straddles the transition from the dry interior to the wetter Coastal Mountains. This, combined with the large elevational gradient, has resulted in very diverse vegetation communities within the Park.

Dry ponderosa pine forests characterize the lower valley, while Douglas fir is predominant in the mid-valley and hemlock, cedar, spruce and fir become predominant in the western end of the valley. Patches of cedar exist throughout the valley, even at the eastern end in moist, cool locations along creeks such as Stryen and Teaspoon.

Floodplain forests along the river are dominated by black cottonwood mixed with aspen and birch. Higher elevations are noted for stands of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir, and above those are white bark pine and alpine tundra. Spectacular flower blooms occur in the spring and summer, particularly at higher elevations.
Wildlife

Due to its size and relative lack of disturbance, the Park contains populations of many species of wildlife which are indicators of its relative health as wilderness.

It is thought to contain over 50 species of mammals, including mountain goat, cougar, wolverine, black bear and grizzly bear. Bird species include golden eagles, sharp shinned hawks, barred owls, pigmy owls, white-tailed ptarmigan, pileated woodpeckers and rufous hummingbirds, as well as several species of chickadees, warblers and nuthatches.

The Stein River contains dolly varden char, rainbow trout and Rocky Mountain whitefish, as well as steelhead trout, coho, pink and chinook salmon which return to the river at certain times of the year to spawn.

The Stein Valley was heavily glaciated and is dominated by glacial landforms. All of the main valleys except the lower canyon have the characteristic U-shape of glacial eroded troughs, and many of the tributaries to the Stein River exhibit "hanging" valleys.

The upper reaches of the watershed are dotted with a large number of small mountain lakes (tarns), many of which occupy cirques. The Stein River has 2 extensive canyon sections, one at the east end of the valley and one at the west end.

The Park has a wide range of elevations, from about 220 metres (700 feet) above sea level at the eastern end to 2954 metres (9,750 feet) at the summit of Skihist Mtn. There are about a dozen other peaks along the boundary that are over 2,438 metres (8,000 feet). Some of the key elevations in and around the Park are:

* Main (eastern) trail head 220 metres
* Cottonwood Creek mouth 675 metres
* Stein Lake 1,025 metres
* Elton Lake 1,825 metres
* Tundra Lake 1,875 metres
* Lizzie Lake 1,325 metres