Lac La Hache Park
Park overview
Lac La Hache is one of the most popular recreation lakes along Highway 97. There are many stories to explain how the lake was named. According to one, it got its name when a trapper lost his only hatchet axe while chopping a hole in the frozen lake. This area is rich in tales of 19th century fur traders, gold seekers and cattle ranchers. Miners searched for fortune using the Cariboo Wagon Road located east of the lake.
Nowadays, Lac La Hache Park is a scenic stopping point for all to enjoy. Lac La Hache Park is located on Highway 97, 13km north of the community of Lac La Hache. The long standing campground has flush toilets, tap water, a sani-station and a self-guided nature trail. The day-use area is located across Highway 97 on the shore of Lac La Hache and has an adventure playground, picnic tables, picnic shelter, boat launch, developed beach, changehouse and flush toilets.
This is an excellent fishing lake for kokanee, rainbow and lake trout, as well as burbot. The lake is also a popular place for power boating and water-skiing.
The Heritage House at 108 Mile is a half-hour drive from the campground, and is open from May to September. The campground host or park operator can inform you of other things to do in the area, as well as boat rental locations. The community of Lac La Hache offers a grocery store, gas station, bakery, and a few restaurants.
Advisories
Dates of operation
Open to public access May 4, 2023 to September 30, 2023
Current status:Open to public access
- Facility type
- Vehicle-accessible camping
- 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, but there is access to the boat launch until Oct. 11.
- Facility type
- Picnic areas
- Main operating season dates
- 2023: May 4 to September 30
- Reservable dates
- 2023: May 15 to September 4
- Winter note
- Gate is closed during the off-season, but there is access to the boat launch until Oct. 11.
- Winter note
- Gate is closed during the off-season, but there is access to the boat launch until Oct. 11.
Safety info
Stay Safe
- Swimmer’s itch can sometimes be a problem in mid-summer. Be sure to shower off and towel down thoroughly after swimming in Lac La Hache. Calamine lotion is an effective treatment.
- Highway 97 runs between the campground and the day-use area. Ensure children are accompanied at all times.
Special Notes
- Prevent the spread of Eurasian water milfoil, an aquatic weed. This invasive foreign species can be introduced by pieces of the weed adhering to your boat’s hull or propeller after you have visited lakes where it is present. Please ensure your boat is clean of all vegetation before you launch it in Lac La Hache.
- ORVs are prohibited in this park. ORVs include ATVs, off-road motorcycles, snowmobiles and side by sides.
Camping
- Total number of campsites
- Total reservable frontcountry sites: 31
- Total vehicle-accessible sites: 83
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 are accepted at this park and first come, first served sites are also available.
Group picnic shelter reservations are accepted for this picnic shelter through the BC Parks reservations system.
This park offers vehicle-accessible campsites. They range in size with many larger sites including a few pull through sites. There are also 10 sites that have tent pads. There are no double sites. The sites are nestled amongst the trees and most are large enough to accommodate for extra vehicles.
Campsite reservations are available at this park and first come, first served sites are also available. If staff are not around when you arrive at the campground, choose your site and pay later. Staff will be at the campground at least once a day during the camping season.
Long-stay camping is available for $88 per week. Please contact the park operator for information and to book one of these sites. Information on other parks participating in this program and a link to the camping fees and reservation policies supplement is available on the frontcountry camping webpage.
Facilities
Accessibility information is available for this park, as well as the Lakeside day-use site.
This park has a day-use and picnic area. There is a covered shelter with picnic tables, a wood stove, change houses, pit and flush toilets, cold water taps, as well as fire pits. There is an adventure playground in the day-use area and horseshoe pits located in the campground. The gate to the day-use area is locked between 11pm and 8am.
Group picnicking is $35 per group. Reservations are available from May 15 to September 30.
Pit and flush toilets are located throughout the park.
Cold water taps are located throughout the park. Taps are shut off during the off-season. There are no hose hookups for campers and trailers.
There is an adventure playground in the day-use area near the beach.
A double-wide, cement ramp boat launch is provided at the day-use area. Waterskiing is very popular at Lac La Hache.
A sani-station/dump is available during the collecting season. The fee is $5 per discharge.
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
The Wagon Road self-guided nature trail is 2km long. It provides an opportunity to learn about nature as well as the Gold Rush history of the area. 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.
There are no lifeguards on duty. A wide, sandy beach welcomes visitors and an area is roped off for swimming. Changing rooms, an open air shower and washrooms are provided.
Canoeing and kayaking are enjoyable activities on Lac La Hache. However, the lake is also used for powerboating and waterskiing.
Canoeing and kayaking are enjoyable activities on Lac La Hache. However, the lake is also used for powerboating and waterskiing.
This is an excellent fishing lake for kokanee, lake and rainbow trout as well as burbot during the summer months. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
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 the potential for problems with bears and other 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 Lac La Hache 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.
Lac la Hache is a popular lake for waterskiing.
Maps and location
This park is 13km north of Lac La Hache community on Highway 97. The closest communities, towns and cities are Lac la Hache and 100 Mile House.
Park and activity maps
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: March 16, 1956
- Size: 28 hectares
Park contact
This park proudly operated by:
Shuswap Adams Parks Ltd.
parkinquiries@telus.net
250-320-9305
Nature and culture
- History: The historic Cariboo Wagon road runs through the park. This was originally just a trail used by fur traders from 1803 to 1810. During the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860’s it was rebuilt, and it linked the gold fields of the Cariboo to the gold markets of the world, via the shipyards of Vancouver. One of the stops on the park’s Interpretive trail is on the actual Wagon Road. The overgrown track seems a far cry from our modern Highway 97.
One of the stopping points on the Wagon Road for weary miners was the Blue Tent Ranch. It was built by the Wright family in 1862, after they discovered that cattle and the roadhouse provided a much steadier income than gold mining. The present day park is located on part of the original ranch land. Throughout the park, you can see the stumps from the lumber used to build the original ranch house. This heritage house still stands today, and can be seen next to the highway, roughly three kilometres north of the park. Lac La Hache was established as a Class A park in 1956. - Cultural Heritage: Both the Shuswap and Chilcotin First Nations used the area. Long before the lure of wealth brought the fur traders west, the Shuswap Indians established pit houses near the present day village of Lac La Hache. The Chilcotins named the lake Kumatakwa, meaning Chief or Queen of the waters.
- Conservation: The park is in the Interior Douglas Fir Zone, which is found in BC’s dry interior. There is a superb old-growth stand of Douglas-fir trees surrounding the campground. A fire in the 1960’s burned several hectares, and you can still see the scars on the bases of some fir trees, their thick bark allowed these trees to survive. Fire is part of natural succession here – sunlight reaching the forest floor allows the growth of trembling aspen and lodgepole pine, as well as pinegrass, bunchberry and beautiful pink wild roses.
- Wildlife: Birds that thrive in this lakeside habitat include bald eagle, osprey and red-tailed hawk, as well as forest birds such as pileated woodpeckers, saw-whet owls, red crossbills, chickadees and nuthatches.
Because of the diversity in plant species, a wide variety of mammals lives in this area, from moose and black bears to humble shrews and chipmunks. There are also mule deer, pine martin, lynx, and flying squirrels.
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.