The 257 km long Bulkley River runs through the valley which is bounded on the west by the Hudson Bay Mountain range and on the east by the Babine Mountains. The northern boundary of the valley is usually considered the Bulkey's confluence with the Skeena River at Hazelton, although it is sometimes placed further south near Moricetown. The valley's southern edge is at Bulkley Lake, part way between Houston and Burns Lake.

The Wet'suwet'en people have called the valley home for thousands of years. With the neighbouring Gitxsan, they had their Aboriginal title in the area affirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada with its Delgamuukw decision of 1997. 

The valley is named for the river, which is after American Engineer Charles Bulkley, who oversaw the construction of the telegraph line through the area in the 1860s. The Grand Trunk Railway was constructed through the valley by 1914, and development hastened thereafter. Today, Highway 16 traverses the entire valley.