Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
- Bring your own drinking water as potable water is not available in the park.
Special notes
- Dahl Lake Park is a day-use park only. Overnight camping and fires are prohibited.
- Motorized boats are prohibited on Dahl Lake.
- Dahl Lake is a non-motorized lake and does not allow waterskiing. There are waterskiing opportunities on nearby Norman Lake.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Getting there
Dahl Lake Park is located 40 km southwest of Prince George. From Prince George travel approximately 43 km east on Highway 16 to the junction with the Norman Lake Road. Travel south on Norman Lake Road for approximately 14.5 km. Watch for the turn off to the park on your left hand side, adjacent to the “Welcome to Community of Norman Lake” sign. Parking and park access is located at the east end of Norman Lake. (NTS Map reference: 93G/14).
Things to do
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.
A 300 metre trail connects Norman and Dahl Lakes. The trailhead is at the south end of the beach on Norman Lake. Another rough trail route continues on along the north shore of Dahl Lake.
There are no designated swimming areas. A sandy beach is located at the east end of Norman Lake.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park. To access Dahl Lake with a canoe or kayak, launch at the beach on the east end of Norman Lake, paddle 300 metres south along the shoreline to the creek, and proceed east through the channel about 200 metres into Dahl Lake. Motorized boats are prohibited on Dahl Lake.
There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park. To access Dahl Lake with a canoe or kayak, launch at the beach on the east end of Norman Lake, paddle 300 metres south along the shoreline to the creek, and proceed east through the channel about 200 metres into Dahl Lake. Motorized boats are prohibited on Dahl Lake.
Norman Lake has been stocked with rainbow trout in the past, and although not heavily used, Dahl Lake has moderate fishing potential as well. During the winter season, visitors can ice fish on the lake.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
There is no viewing platform at this park but wildlife there are viewing areas to see 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 Dahl Lake Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
Hunting is allowed is some areas of the park. Please check the Hunting & Trapping Regulations Synopsis for more information.
There are cross-country ski and snowshoeing opportunities on the park trails but there are no developed tracks. Part of the Bednesti trail system allows snowmobiles and skidooing.
Dahl Lake has moderate fishing potential as well. During the winter season, visitors can ice fish on the lake.
Facilities
Accessibility information is available for this park.
This park has a day-use and picnic area.
This park only has pit toilets, no flush toilets.
About this park
Archaeological sites associated with the Carrier people have been found.
The recreation potential of the Dahl and Norman Lakes area was recognized as far back as 1959. With the Prince George regional population growing, a need for additional park facilities within an hours drive of the community was identified, and Dahl Lake Provincial Park was established in 1981. An additional 830 hectares was added to the park in 2000 on the recommendation of the Prince George Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP).
Dahl Lake Provincial Park contributes to the preservation of a range of vegetation types and wildlife species. Forest cover consists primarily of spruce and pine with aspen, willow, and alder along the lakeshore and creeks. Pockets of balsam, cottonwood, or birch are scattered throughout the area and large old Douglas fir trees dot the northwest shore of Dahl Lake.
The area has a variety of habitat types supporting a diversity of wildlife species. Large and small mammals are abundant and the relatively shallow bays of Dahl Lake provide nesting and feeding sites for waterfowl. The marsh areas surrounding Theodore Lake are particularly attractive to ducks and geese.
Wildlife found in Dahl Lake Provincial Park include moose, black bear, wolf, and coyote. Smaller mammals such as fox, beaver, otter, and muskrat are also abundant. In addition to geese, ducks, and loons, other common bird species at Dahl Lake include owls, eagles, and osprey. Please respect the wildlife, especially in the spring when many bird species use the shoreline of the lake to have and raise their young.
Norman Lake has been stocked with rainbow trout in the past, and although not heavily used, Dahl Lake has moderate fishing potential as well.
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.
Contact
General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
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