Protected area overview
Looking for remote wilderness camping, abundant wildlife and excellent fishing opportunities? Look no further, Klua Lakes provides all this and more. Klua Lakes Protected Area offers visitors to this remote wilderness an impressive view of escarpments and cuesta topography (ridges with a steep face on one side and a gentle slope on the other).
Lush boreal forest surrounds the lakes that provide excellent walleye and northern pike fishing. Moose wade through the shallows and peregrine falcons hunt in the skies above. This area is truly impressive; enjoy a tranquil paddle in the summer or explore it via snowmobile in the winter. Either way, Klua Lakes is sure to leave you with a lasting impression and fond memories of a wilderness experience.
Advisories
Safety info
- Vehicle access is limited to snowmobile or ATV once creeks and water ways have frozen.
Camping
Wilderness camping is allowed, but no facilities are provided.
Facilities
Boil or filter water in the backcountry.
Activities
There are no developed trails at this park. Use caution when exploring the backcountry.
There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park.
This park offers excellent walleye and northern pike fishing. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
Wildlife viewing opportunities with such animals as moose, black bear, grizzly bears, goats and Peregrine falcons.
Horseback riding is permitted.
The park is open to hunting. All hunters to the area should refer to the current BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis.
Winter recreation opportunities include snowmobiling and ice fishing.
Klua Lakes Protected Area is located east of the Prophet River and east of Mile 240 of the Alaska Highway. There are no designated roads. Roads are designed for winter use only. Access is via trails leading up Adsett Creek and via a northern trail from the Alaska Highway. Snowmobile access is sometimes possible due to creek and beaver dam crossings or via float plane.
Protected area and activity maps
Learn more about this protected area
Protected area details
- Date established: January 25, 2001
- Size: 28,018 hectares
Nature and culture
History
The area was identified as a feature of interest in the late 1970s. A Notation of Interest for future park development was established on June 15, 1984. The 1995 Protected Area Strategy report identified Klua Lakes as an area of interest. The Fort Nelson land and Resource Management Plan in 1997 confirmed the importance of protected status for this area.
Cultural Heritage
Klua Lakes Protected Area overlaps with traditional use areas of the Sekani, Slavey, Cree and Beaver cultures of the Prophet River and Fort Nelson First Nations.
Conservation
The area provides representation of the Fort Nelson Lowland and Muskwa Plateau ecosections and is characterized by unique flat-topped plateaus with steep, near vertical faces. Klua Lakes occupy a basin scalloped into the sedimentary escarpment; a line of scenic bluffs mark the rim of the basin. These escarpments, located in the Boreal White and Black Spruce Biogeoclimatic Zone, are distinct landscape features and they are dominated by aspen and white spruce stands. The lakes drain eastward over the classic muskeg country of the Fort Nelson Lowlands to the northeast. The cliffs surrounding the lake are used by peregrine falcons, and support a small isolated goat population. Moose, beaver, otter and black bear are common.
Wildlife
Moose, black bear, woodland caribou, white-tail deer and mule deer are some of the species commonly observed in the park. Several other species make this park their home, some of which have been identified as rare or endangered. These include:
- Cisco (provincial red list) Spottail shiner (provincial red list)
- Grizzly bear (provincial blue list)
- Trumpeter swan, Peregrine falcon
- Mountain goat
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.