Park overview
This secluded park is found in the Okanagan Highland east of Osoyoos. Set amid a forest of mainly western larch and lodgepole pine that cover the surrounding hills.
Conkle Lake, named for W.H. Conkle, an early settler in the nearby Kettle Valley. The lake is noted for its rainbow trout. Visitors have come for many years to fish as well as swim and hike to various viewpoints.
Advisories
Dates of operation
Open to public access year-round
Current status:
Open to public access
- Facility type
- Vehicle-accessible camping
- Number of campsites
- Vehicle-accessible sites: 34
- Double sites: 4
- Main camping season dates
- 2023: Year-round
- Winter note
- Accessible year-round, weather permitting. Walk-in from the gate; no fee, no services.
- Facility type
- Group camping
- Number of campsites
- Groupsites: 2
- Main camping season dates
- 2023: May 17 to September 4
- 2024: May 15 to September 2
- Reservable dates
- 2023: May 17 to September 3
- 2024: May 15 to August 30
- Off season dates
- 2023: September 5 to December 31
- 2024: January 1 to May 14
- Winter note
- Accessible year-round, weather permitting. Walk-in from the gate; no fee, no services.
- Winter note
- Walk-in from the gate; no fee, no services.
Safety info
- Be aware of steep cliffs and the potential for loose rocks throughout the park.
- There is a steep drop-off from the beach.
- Wood ticks are most prevalent between March and June. These parasites live in tall grass and low shrubs, and seek out warm-blooded hosts. As potential carriers of disease, they should be avoided. Protect your legs by wearing gaiters, or pants tucked into socks. After any outdoor activities, thoroughly examine yourself, children and pets. If you find a tick embedded in your skin, the best way to remove it is by grasping and pulling it, gently, straight up and out with a small pair of tweezers, and disinfecting the site with rubbing alcohol. You may wish to save the tick in a small plastic or glass container for later inspection by your doctor especially if a fever develops, or the area around the bite appears to be infected.
- Swimmer’s Itch: Symptoms will be an irritating rash and persistent itch. Calamine lotion is an effective treatment.
- Poison Ivy: A low plant with 3 glossy, bright green leaves and white berries. Wear shoes when hiking, especially in underbrush. Calamine lotion is an effective treatment.
Camping
- Total number of campsites
- Total vehicle-accessible sites: 34
- Total double sites: 4
- Total groupsites: 2
All group campsite reservations must be made through the BC Parks reservations system. When reservations are not available all campsites function as first come, first served. Individual campsite reservations are not accepted at this park, all campsites are on a first come, first served basis.
There are 2 group campsites at this park. One group site is located at the entrance to the campground across from the information shelter. The second group site is near the beach. The picnic tables can be arranged to suit a variety of groups.
Youth group camping fees per night are $1 per person (6+), with a $50 minimum and $150 maximum. Read the Youth Group policy about criteria for youth groups.
Regular group camping fees per night are $80 per group site per night, plus $5 per adult (16+, minimum charge for 15 adults), plus $1 per child (6-15). Children under 6 are free!
This park offers 34 vehicle-accessible campsites, including four double sites. All function as first come, first served basis. Reservations are not accepted.
The park is maintained during the main camping season and while camping is permitted year-round, access is very difficult. Roads in the campground are gravel and the sites are rustic. The medium sized sites are well spaced and set in a thick forest that offer shade and contribute to privacy. The sites are found in a strip overlooking the lake. Views are through the forest, with a small loop at the western end. Steep trails lead roughly 100m down to the lake. Cell service can be unreliable in the park and the nearest services are in Rock Creek.
| Vehicle-accessible camping fee | $18 per party per night |
| BC seniors’ rate (day after Labour Day to June 14 only) | $9 per senior party per night |
For information on the BC seniors’ rate, see the camping fees page.
Facilities
Accessibility information is available for this park.
There is one hand pump in the park located in the campground.
There is a boat launch at this park. Boats with motors exceeding 10hp are not permitted on the lake and the boat launch is most suited to small trailered boats or car top boats. It consists of a small, single wide section of beach marked by rocks. There is a turn-around area and parking is 100m back up the road in the large gravel parking lot that also serves the beach and the walk-in group tenting site.
Campfires are allowed and campfire rings are provided at each campsite. We encourage visitors to conserve wood and protect the environment by minimizing the use of fire and using campstoves instead. Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary from park to park. Limited burning hours or campfire bans may be implemented.
To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park Act). Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil.
The day-use area is a large sandy beach at the north end of the lake. There are four picnic tables and two benches on the beach. An open grassy area separates the picnic tables from the surrounding forest with four pit toilets back in the trees, behind the tables. A few widely spaced trees offer some shade along the beach.
There are stairs down from the large gravel parking area found 100m above the beach. There are also steep trails with some stairs leading down from the campground. It is possible to drive down and drop people off at the beach, but please note that there is no parking at the beach or boat launch. A handpump for drinking water can be found by the boat launch.
This park only has pit toilets, no flush toilets. The toilets are conveniently located throughout the campground and near the picnic tables in the day-use area.
Activities
There is limited hiking available in the park. Starting between campsites 32 and 33 inside of the park, there is a 2km trail travelling part way around the lake to a waterfall, which is outside of the park. Please use extreme caution while approaching the steep and hazardous cliffs at the waterfall. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
The large beach and cold, clear water of Conkle Lake make it a good place for swimming. There are no buoys to mark the swimming area and there are no lifeguards on duty.
There are canoeing and kayaking opportunities at this park enhanced by the motorboat size restriction.
There are canoeing and kayaking opportunities at this park enhanced by the motorboat size restriction.
Conkle Lake is a destination for fishing as it is stocked with rainbow trout fry by the Summerland Trout Hatchery. The 3km long lake is framed by steep hillsides and fed by East Creek. Conkle Creek drains the lake and eventually joins the Kettle River. There is ice fishing, though access is difficult. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to the potential for problems with wildlife.
Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Conkle Lake Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted.
The regular southerly winds create windsurfing opportunities.
There is some snowmobiling along the forest service roads that lead into the park. There is ice fishing, though access is difficult.
Maps and location
There are two access routes which are both narrow and winding forest service roads. These roads are unsuitable for motorhomes, vehicles towing trailers or low-clearance vehicles. It is 16km to the entrance from Highway 33, just north of Westbridge and 26km from Highway 3 and 6km east of Bridesville. The access off Highway 3 is the better route. Follow signs along the forest service roads. The two accesses join 1km from the park, at which point there is a gate.
The closest communities are Rock Creek, Westbridge, Midway, Greenwood and Osoyoos.
Please Note: Google Maps suggests taking an access road from OK Falls, but this route is not maintained or signed and is not recommended.
Park and activity maps
- Park Map [PDF] (February 2020)
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: March 15, 1973
- Size: 725 hectares
Park contact
This park proudly operated by:
Quality Recreation Ltd.
250 584-9025
info@explorebcparks.ca
Nature and culture
History
The lake is fed by East Creek and is drained by Conkle Creek to the north, which eventually joins the West Kettle River near Westbridge. Conkle Lake, Creek and nearby Mountain are named for W.H. Conkle, who settled in the kettle Valley in the 1890’s. Two rustic log cabins near the park entrance were once part of a fishing resort that catered to anglers who came to the lake to fish for rainbow trout. The resort no longer operates, but the fish are still in Conkle Lake.
Conservation
The park is representative of the Okanagan Highlands landscape with good deer, elk and moose range. The Okanagan Highlands landscape has very few protected areas which increases the importance of this park. The dominant plant community in the park is a mixed forest of lodgepole pine and immature Western larch. Logging and a fire in the 1930’s left few of the original mature larch standing. Black alder and willow are profuse along the lakeshore and in the East Creek delta. Common shrubs and flowering plants include false box, Oregon grape, broadleaf arnica, lupine and red paintbrush.
Wildlife
Bird species often seen include the common loon, merganser, ruffed grouse, pileated woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, and ruby-crowned kinglet. Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment. Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife. For more information on bear safety, click here.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.