The Eagle Creek area just west of Burns Lake is one of the few localities of previous opals in British Columbia.  In the early 1980s John Shelford discovered the opals and staked the mineral claims.  In 1984 Mr. Shelford offered to withdraw his claim on the condition that the area be designated a Staking Reserve and Recreation Area.  The Village of Burns Lake, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Forests cooperated in obtaining this reserve.  The area is now protected from claim staking and is available to the public for ‘rock hounding’. The trail is intermediate and visitors should be aware of wild animal safety protocols.