Protected area overview
Greenbush Lake Protected Area was established to protect important grizzly bear and mountain caribou habitat. The area also protects a good representation of old growth cedar, hemlock, spruce and subalpine fir found at mid to high elevation. Recreation opportunities include fishing, backcountry skiing and heli-skiing as well as nature appreciation.
Advisories
Safety info
- Access to the protected area during the summer is on an active logging road. Use caution and try to follow radio equipped vehicles. The area is remote and users must be well prepared. During the winter, heli-skiers access the Protected Area via CMH helicopter who hold a permit in the Park. Backcountry skiers most commonly access the park via Blanket Glacier Chalet, located just outside the park.
- Bring your own drinking water as potable water is not available in the park.
- Campfires are not permitted.
- There are no developed trails in the park, however a Recreation Site exists on the northern shore of Greenbush Lake providing rustic vehicle access camping.
Special notes
Backcountry and Heli-skiing
Blanket Glacier Chalet operates a winter-use lodge just east of the Protected Area boundary. From here, self contained skiers can tour into and around the Protected Area.
Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) operates numerous heli-skiing operations in British Columbia including CMH Revelstoke which runs trips into the Monashee mountains including Greenbush Protected Area.
Camping
There are no vehicle-accessible camping facilities at this park. However, just outside of the protected area there are three large, level campsites with fire rings as well as an old outhouse and boat launch. These are Forest Service recreation sites and may not meet BC Parks standards.
Activities
Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden, some as big as 2 kg, are caught in Greenbush Lake.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
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 wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
Horses and horseback riding are permitted.
Hunting is allowed in the protected area. Please check the BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more details.
Greenbush Lake is located 124 km north of Vernon. Take Hwy 97 to Vernon, then go east on Hwy 6 from for 47 km, through Lumby to Cherryville. At Cherryville, turn north onto Sugar Lake Road. Follow until the paved road ends becoming the gravel Sugar Lake Forest Service Road. Follow past Sugar Lake and along the Shuswap River for 53 km to the protected area. The Forest Service Recreation Site on the northwest side of Greenbush lake is just outside the protected area which surrounds it on the north, east and south sides. The recreation site provides the main access into the protected area.
The closest communities are Cherryville, Lumby and Vernon.
In the winter, backcountry skiers fly by helicopter to Blanket Glacier Chalet, located just east of the Protected Area. The Chalet commissions these flights from Revelstoke. As well, heli-skiing trips in the Protected Area are provided by CMH Revelstoke.
Learn more about this protected area
Protected area details
- Date established: April 18, 2001
- Size: 2,818 hectares
Nature and culture
History
Established on April 18, 2001 as part of the Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP process.
Cultural Heritage
There is evidence of trapping by European settlers.
Conservation
The area is representative of the Central Columbia Mountains Ecosection. It contains old-growth Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir and Interior cedar-hemlock forest types with exceptionally large cedar and spruce.
The protected area provides important spring range for grizzly and critical cedar-hemlock habitat for caribou. British Columbia contains most of the world’s population of Mountain caribou. They are blue-listed in British Columbia and depend heavily on old-growth forest to supply lichen for their winter diet.
Increased habitat fragmentation and winter recreational use is putting pressure on remaining herds emphasizing the importance of the protected area.
Wildlife
Caribou, black and grizzly bear, wolverine, marten, lynx, cougar, hoary marmot and pileated woodpecker, yellow-rumped warbler, brown creeper and the blue-listed Townsend’s big-eared bat are known to be in this area.
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.