Horsefly Lake Park
Park overview
This park offers a popular 23 site campground and day-use area which has a developed beach, a horseshoe pit and a nature trail. Some activities offered include hiking, exploring and fishing. This is a large, deep lake and is usually fished on a troll – included are a number of smaller lakes excellent for fly-fishing. Fishing for rainbow trout is a favourite pastime of many visitors.
Fir, spruce, birch and cedar clothe the slopes along the lower reaches of Dillabough Creek at the west end of Horsefly Lake – a semi-wilderness water body penetrating the Quesnel Highlands. There are old growth cedars and Douglas firs throughout the park. There are two unnamed lakes in the park, once the site of a hatchery operated to restore the run of sockeye to the Horsefly River.
Established Date: August 15, 1974
Park Size: 186 hectares
Advisories
Dates of operation
Open to public access May 12, 2023 to September 30, 2023
Current status:Open to public access
- Facility type
- Vehicle-accessible camping
- Number of campsites
- Reservable frontcountry sites: 12
- Vehicle-accessible sites: 23
- Double sites: 1
- RV-accessible sites: 0.5
- Main camping season dates
- 2023: May 12 to September 30
- Reservable dates
- 2023: May 15 to September 3
- Winter note
- Gate is closed during the off-season. Boat launch open until the day after Thanksgiving weekend.
- Facility type
- Boat launch
- Main operating season dates
- 2023: May 12 to October 10
- Facility type
- Walk-in camping
- Number of campsites
- Walk-in sites: 7
- Main camping season dates
- 2023: May 12 to September 30
- Winter note
- Gate is closed during the off-season.
Safety info
Stay Safe
- The park supports multiple lake-oriented activities. Please adopt safe boating procedures at all times, and be aware of swimmers, canoeists and kayakers.
Special Notes
- ORVs are prohibited in this park. ORVs include ATVs, off-road motorcycles, snowmobiles and side by sides.
- There is no sani-station available within the park, but the local community has sani-station services available.
Camping
- Total number of campsites
- Total reservable frontcountry sites: 12
- Total vehicle-accessible sites: 23
- Total double sites: 1
- Total walk-in sites: 7
All campsite reservations must be made the BC Parks reservations system. When reservations are not available all campsites function as first-come, first-served.
Campsite Reservations:
Campsite reservations are accepted and first-come, first-served sites are also available.
This park offers 23 vehicle accessible campsites – with both first-come, first-served and reservable campsites. There is a mixture of 23 shaded, treed, and open sites, most of medium size, 1 of which is a double site. There are no pull through sites but the overflow area is a large grassy area where large rigs will fit. There are also 7 tent sites on the lakeside and parking available for extra vehicles.
There are seven hike-in tent sites situated along the shoreline of the lake.
Walk-in camping fee: $23.00 per party / night
Facilities
Accessibility information is available for this park.
While 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.
Activities
There are paddling, canoeing and kayaking opportunities at this park. Canoes, paddle boats, and a power boat can be rented from the Park Operator.
This is a large, deep lake and is usually fished on a troll – included nearby are a number of smaller lakes excellent for fly-fishing; fishing for rainbow trout is a favourite pastime of many visitors. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
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 Horsefly Lake Provincial 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.
Maps and location
The park is located on Horsefly Lake, approximately 65 km from 150 Mile House off Highway 97; 55 km of the route is paved, and 10 km is well-maintained gravel. The closest community is Horsefly, located 13 km southwest of the park. Other communities are Likely and Williams Lake.
For map information, please refer to topographical map numbers: 1:50,000 92P/11.
Park and activity maps
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: August 15, 1974
- Size: 186 hectares
Park contact
This park proudly operated by:
Silvertip Park Services Ltd.
parkinquiries@telus.net
250 320-9305
Nature and culture
- History: There are historical features and fossil beds to explore near the park; the Park Facility Operator can provide further details. The park itself was established in August of 1974 as a high recreational value area. Prior to this, a small fish hatchery operated in the area now protected as park and evidence of the old spawning channel can still be seen.
- Conservation: Horsefly Lake Provincial Park incorporates a large, deep lake surrounded by diverse landscape and vegetation. Wetbelt forests of cedar, hemlock, spruce, and birch surround the lake, while pine and Douglas-fir forests inhabit drier sites.
- Wildlife: Wildlife species found in the park include moose, mule deer, coyotes, black bear, cougar and a number of small mammals, while wolves may be found in surrounding areas. Horsefly and other smaller lakes in the area support healthy populations of rainbow trout and amphibians can be found in lake and wetland areas. While the park’s name leads many to expect an unpleasant camping experience, there are relatively few biting flies in the park. Just outside the community of Horsefly, there are spawning channels on the Horsefly River with dyked paths for viewing. The channels provide spawning beds for sockeye salmon that travel up the Fraser River to the Quesnel River, Quesnel Lake and finally to the Horsefly River to spawn. The best time to see these brilliant red and green salmon is mid-September.
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.