The reserve occupies the level bottom of a shallow north south trough which was probably an ancient meltwater channel.

This trough is within the Fraser Basin, a drift-covered area of low relief lying below the general surface of the Interior Plateau. Boggy ground in and adjacent to the reserve has no organized drainage patterns. Soils are predominantly organic in nature.

The reserve consists of treeless raised bog surrounded by bog forest which is dominated by black spruce. On the highest sites the black spruce stands have an understory dominated by bog rosemary, Labrador tea, and sphagnum moss; on wetter areas scrub birch, water sedge, lesser panicled sedge and mosses predominate and spruce trees are more scattered. A few thickets made up of

mountain alder and willows, with ostrich fern in the understory, occur at the forest margin.

Treeless boglands have shrub cover dominated by Labrador tea, scrub birch, or bog rosemary, and sphagnum moss covering the ground. Cotton-grasses, sedges,and bog cranberry are also characteristic, and northern bog plants such as cloudberry, long-leaved sundew and round-leaved sundew are present. Fen-like tussock swamps are dominated by grassesand scheuchzeria; bog pools often contain buckbean. An exceptional diversity of sedges (11 species) has been noted, as well as several species of mosses and lichens.

The fauna has not been surveyed but sign of Moose, Mule Deer and Black Bears are abundant.