The outer flanks of the range are steep, particularly on the side of the Fraser, where the northerly peaks are a high plateau-edge almost 2000 m above the river below. The core of the range is rugged and has a complex series of interlocking valleys. Karst formations throughout the area suggest caves, though none has been discovered, and there are scores of intermittent waterfalls and sub-alpine swamps. The northern edge of the Clear Range is the south wall of Marble Canyon. The highest summits are Blustry Mountain, 2334 m ; its neighbor Cairn Peak 2328 m ; and north of them, Moore Peak, 2223 m ; and Chipuin Mountain, 2170 m. The highest peak in the southern part of the range is Botanie Mountain, just north of Lytton 2077 m, but higher in the centre of the range is Mount Murray 2153 m. A separate ridge across the Fraser River from Lillooet is named Fountain Ridge. It is geologically distinct, actually a sliver of plate between the Fraser and Yalakom Faults. Arthur Seat, 1672 m, lies in that range on the west side of Spences Bridge, and was named by pioneer John Murray for the similarly-named mountain in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Flora and fauna
The climate is varied, though mostly dry, especially on the west and southeast. The interior of the range gets more waterfall and is heavily treed relative to the canyons flanking it Typical boreal forest and mountain wildlife prevail: grizzly bear, black bear, black-tail deer, moose, and various rodents. The range's reptile populations include several varieties of dryland lizard and also the timber rattlesnake; the Clear Range is the farthest northwest extent of the rattlesnake.
History and culture
The Clear Range is largely the domain of the Nlaka'pamux peoples, although the northwest edge of the range is occupied by communities of the St'at'imc people and a rancherie of the Bonaparte River band of the Secwepemc people at Marble Canyon, whose territory also includes southeastern portion of the range along the Thompson. There are no urban settlements or towns in the range although it is skirted by three major highways and also three rail lines. Due to its location, it overlooked the great movement of goldseekers during the Fraser Canyon and Cariboo Gold Rushes although no major mines or deposits were found on its slopes. At its northern extremity there is a large deposit of low-grade lignite, adjacent to Marble Canyon on the northwestern edge of the Hat Creek basin that has long been proposed for a major open-pit coal mine and coal-powered generating plant. The area is heavily logged but thereby interlaced with logging roads and other trails popular with 4x4 recreationists, mountain bikers and others.
