Hai Lake – Mount Herman Park

Highlights in this park

Hai Lake – Mt. Herman Park protects regionally significant and remnant old-growth forest and bog ecosystems. It also provides local day hiking, camping, fishing and hunting opportunities.

Know before you go

Advisories

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

Hai Lake – Mount Herman park is located about 15 km south of Terrace on the west side of Beam Station Road. Terrace is the closest community to this park and access into this park is by roads and trails. Use NTS Map Sheet #103 I/7 (Lakelse Lake). The Hai Lake trail is accessed via the South Thunderbird Forest Service Road and Herman Lake is accessed via Beam Station Road. For more detailed directions to Hai Lake and Herman Lake, see the Hiking section.

Visitor Information Centre

Terrace Visitor Info Centre
4511 Keith Avenue
Terrace, BC V8G 1K1
Ph. 250-635-4944
Toll Free: 1-877-635-4944
E-Mail: info@visitterrace.com
Website: hellobc.com

Camping

Wilderness camping

Wilderness camping is allowed. There are two basic campsites at Hai Lake with two picnic tables, two fire rings, a pit toilet and a lake dock (two metres by four metres).

Winter camping

Winter camping is available at Hai Lake, but be prepared to hike or snowshoe in because the access road is not plowed during winter.

Things to do

Hiking

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.

Directions to Hai Lake

Hai Lake trail map and information [PDF] .

From Terrace, go southwest along Queensway Drive. Take Beam Station Road to the south, past the Terrace Airport.

Reset odometer to 0 at the intersection of Beam Station Road and Thunderbird Main Forest Service Road. Keep going south on Beam Station Road.

At 1.55 km: cross under the power lines.
At 2.6 km: turn right onto South Thunderbird Forest Service Road, and reset odometer to 0 again. The South Thunderbird Road is quite rough in places and not suitable for two wheel drive vehicles.
At 0.5 km: cross over a small creek.
At 0.8 km: cross over another small creek at bottom of hill.
At 1.1 km: stay left at fork in road.
At 1.5 km: park at the turn around area at the top of the hill.

The start of the trail is on the right side of the turn-around and parking area. Hike the 900 m trail through the old growth forest for about 15 minutes and you’re there! There are two campsites, two picnic tables, two fire rings, a pit toilet and a lake dock (2 m x 4 m) by the lake at the end of the trail. The Hai Lake Trail and park facilities are maintained in cooperation with the Terrace Scouts.

Directions to Herman Lake

From Terrace, go southwest along Queensway Drive. Take Beam Station Road to the south, past the Terrace Airport.

Reset odometer to 0 at the intersection of Beam Station Road and Thunderbird Main Forest Service Road. Keep going south on Beam Station Road.

At 1.55 km: cross under the power lines.
At 2.6 km: Go past the South Thunderbird Forest Service Road, which is on the right hand side of the road (this road goes to Hai Lake).
At 3.6 km: Go past the Sunset Kennels (right hand side of road).
At 4.8 km: Turn right onto the short (100 m) dirt road going downhill.

The start of the trail is at the end of the 100 m single lane dirt road, which has a small turn-around and parking area at its end. The Herman Lake trail consists of 82 m of raised boardwalk leading to aviewing platform (3 m x 3 m) on the southeast side of Herman Lake.

Swimming

Swimming is possible during the summer months in both Herman and Hai Lakes. The viewing platform at Herman Lake and the lake dock at Hai Lake can be used for swimming.

There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.

Canoeing

There are canoeing opportunities on both Herman and Hai Lakes.

Fishing

There are fishing opportunities for cutthroat trout in Herman and Hai Lakes.

Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

Pets on leash

Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.

Hunting

Hunting is permitted only during lawful game hunting season. Check with Hunting & Trapping Regulations Synopsis for regulations.

Winter recreation

Snowshoeing

There are snowshoeing opportunities in the park. Snow conditions permitting, one can snowshoe the South Thunderbird Forest Service Road and the trail to Hai Lake. Total one-way distance is about 2.5 km.

Ice Skating

There are ice skating opportunities in the park when Hai Lake or Herman Lake are safely frozen over and cleared of snow.

Ice Fishing

There are ice fishing opportunities in the park for Cutthroat Trout when Hai Lake or Herman Lake are safely frozen over.

Facilities

Accessibility information

The 82 m boardwalk trail and viewing platform (3 m x 3 m) at Herman Lake are wheelchair-accessible.

Campfires

Please conserve firewood. While campfires are allowed, there is no firewood available. We encourage visitors to use camp stoves and only have a campfire in emergency situations.

Pit or flush toilets

This park only has one pit toilet which is located at Hai Lake.

About this park

Cultural Heritage

Hai Lake – Mount Herman Park lies within the traditional territory of the Kitselas First Nation. This park and the surrounding area are important to First Nations peoples for sustenance and cultural activities. In recent times the area has been a popular skating, fishing and camping location for Terrace residents and Boy Scouts.

History

Hai Lake – Mount Herman Park was designated as a park on May 20, 2004 following recommendations from the Kalum Land and Resource Management Plan.

Mount Herman and Herman Lake were named after Peter Herman of Port Essington, who was born in Germany in 1862 and immigrated to Canada in 1882. He worked at the Port Essington cannery where he met and married Kate Spence (a native woman from Victoria, BC) and had four children (Willie, Walter, Rhoderic and Hilda). They later moved to Lakelse Lake near Terrace, where Peter logged and trapped. Peter became president of the Liberal Association of the north and a Liberal candidate for Skeena in 1903, but lost. Peter died in a drowning accident in 1907. His body was never found.

Conservation

The Herman Lake wetland is a Class 1 (greater than 5 hectares) riparian wetland that contains regionally significant salmon spawning and rearing habitat and Herman Creek is a salmonid spawning stream.

The bog ecosystem around Herman Lake contains scattered and stunted Lodgepole Pine, Western Red Cedar, and Western Hemlock. In addition to water loving shrubs and herbs, the bogs contain specialized plants such as Sundew, White Bog Orchids and Bog Club Moss. Accumulations of moss and organic material are often greater than 100 cm and water tables are within 20 cm of the surface. The bog system is very susceptible to disturbance.

Organic soils and dwarf shrubs can be severely damaged by vehicles and trampling. Re-growth after damage is slow. Regionally significant old growth Western Hemlock forest is located in the park (approximately 95 hectares). This is one of the very few remaining old growth stands in the main Kitimat – Kitsumkalum valley.

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.

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