Monkman Park

The park boasts numerous backcountry camping spots: at kilometre 7 (Murray River crossing), at kilometre 13, at kilometre 20 (Cascades), at kilometre 22 (Devils Creek), and at kilometre 25 (Monkman Lake). 

There are two tent pads at the Murray river Crossing and eight at the Monkman Lake sites. The km 13 campsite provides access to water, a fire pit, a bear cache, and a few tent spots. Each campsite is equipped with a bear cache (to store foodstuffs and gear), a fire ring, and pit toilet. Please use these designated areas. 

Camping at backcountry campsites is on a first-come first-served basis. Campfires are permitted only in designated backcountry campsites. Firewood is in short supply, so please keep fires small for safety and to conserve firewood for the next hiker. Use of Primus-type campstoves is encouraged. 

The southeast section of Monkman Park holds several beautiful aqua-marine lakes, which are the source of the Murray River. This area of the park is considered to be prime grizzly bear habitat and extensive human intrusion is not encouraged. 

Recently, the southern boundary of Monkman was extended to include areas with high conservation and recreation features, including the upper Fontoniko Creek, the Limestone Lakes area and the rolling plateau to the west. This addition protects old-growth spruce forests, unique geological features, and important recreation aspects of the park’s terrain, wildlife and ecosystems.

Campers are encouraged to fill out a questionnaire giving information as to how many people are in their party, destination, and schedule. Any comments about the park and its amenities are also appreciated. 

This park offers vehicle-accessible campsites on a first-come, first-served basis; campsite reservations are not accepted.

Accessibility information is available for these areas of the park:

• Kinuseo
• Monkman
• Stone Corral

The picnic area is located two kilometres from the the campsite. At this location, there are picnic tables and pit toilets.

This park has only pit toilets; no flush toilets.

A cold water hand pump is located in this park. Boil water advisory in effect. The hand pump is shut off during the off-season.

Fire rings are available, but firewood is user provided.

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.

Day hikes and backcountry hikes 

Monkman Provincial Park offers a small but attractive selection of short hiking trails, including routes to viewpoints of Kinuseo Falls and the Murray River, a 3km trail from the main campground to Kinuseo Falls, and the route around the perimeter of a beaver pond. Day hikers wanting more of a stretch can walk the Monkman Lake Trail as far as the Murray River Crossing, an easy hike that is 7km one way. The Murray River Crossing boasts a suspension bridge, which can lead more serious explorers into the park's interior. 

Kinuseo Falls

Considered one of the great natural wonders of the province, Kinuseo Falls are a highlight of Monkman Park. A 42-site campground and day-use area are located nearby in the park. Above the falls, the folding and faulting which occurred with the uplift of the Rockies millions of years ago can be seen as an “S” curve on the far wall. 

Visitors to Kinuseo Falls will find recreational opportunities such as hiking short trails to viewpoints, as well as many chances to admire the diverse scenery, take photographs, and engage in rewarding nature studies. The campground also provides an ideal base for hikers and campers interested in backcountry adventures.

Monkman Lake Trail

To the south of the Kinuseo Falls campground lies the main body of Monkman Park. Access is via the 63km Monkman Lake Trail, which winds through this portion of the park and provides backpackers and hikers with an opportunity to experience the unspoiled splendor of the area. 

As beautiful as the trail to Monkman Lake is, it passes the most spectacular feature of the park, the Monkman Cascades. These are a series of ten stunning waterfalls along Monkman Creek that thunder over rock ledges separated by placid pools. The trail, which follows the historic Monkman Pass route, ends at Hobies cabin on the Herrick River 10 km beyond the southern boundary of the park. 

The Monkman Pass Memorial Hiking Trail, past Monkman Lake, is for experienced hikers only with advanced navigation skills. At this point it becomes a wilderness route and climbs into the sub-alpine where there is no trail maintenance. Please be prepared past this point for wilderness navigation, route finding and wilderness alpine camping (no wood fuel is available). 

The lakes and rivers within Monkman Provincial Park contain fish species such as trout, char, grayling and whitefish. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.

A viewing platform is located at Kinuseo Falls. This platform is accessed via a short walk from the parking and picnic area. Interpretive signs are located at the lookout highlighting the areas features.

The Stone Corral area of Monkman park was discovered in 1999. A hike to the area takes you through amazing features such as small caves with stalactites, moonsmilk and other limestone formations, ponds and many kinds of moving water, interesting plants, fossils, and magnificent viewpoints. An interpretive brochure has been printed documenting all the areas special features.

Kinuseo Falls at 60 metres (197 ft.) is one of the most spectacular features of Monkman Provincial Park. The falls are slightly taller than Niagara Falls and plunge into a spectacular canyon. The falls are accessible by a short 2 minute stroll to a viewing platform.

Watch a video of a riverboat trip at Kinuseo Falls.

Pets/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.

Mountain biking is only allowed up to km 12 along the Monkman Trail.

Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Monkman 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.

Horses are allowed along the Monkman Trail and within backcountry areas zoned Wilderness Recreation. These areas cover the upper Monkman Creek watershed including the latter half of the Monkman Trail. Horse users are required to carry feed for their horses.

There are opportunities to spelunk on the Stone Corral Trail. Small caves can be found in the limestone outcrops.

At the far end of the Stone Corral, beneath the steepest cliffs, lies the large entrance to Corral Cave. Although this cave is only 20 metres deep, it contains a number of fascinating features. The walls are smooth and vertical and the ceiling is high, making for an easy walk-in cave. The floor is rock-strewn, and there are a number of large perpetual drips. In spring and early summer the floor of the cave is a dramatic collection of large icicles. On the left wall, about halfway in, there is a small round hole. This is a typical phreatic tube. The initial dissolution process that widens the cracks underground occurs below the water table. Because of the very slow movement of the water and because it completely fills the crack, the result is a perfectly round tube. Later in the history of a cave when the water-table drops and air enters, if water is still passing through the crack it will selectively erode the bottom portion. The resulting V-shape is known as vadose, as opposed to the round phreatic features. At the end of the cave, if a flashlight is shone up into the top corner, there are a few tiny stalactites. Beyond these is a long descending tongue of a softer white substance, moonsmilk, an organic form of calcite. It is gooey when wet, with a texture like cottage cheese, but crumbly and powdery when dry. The origin of the name is traced to Europe, where the exact translation means “gnome’s milk”. It was used in medieval times as a wound dressing and recent research has shown the appropriateness of this remedy, as moonsmilk contains a number of substances with antibacterial properties. Overhead and along the wall there are also some beautiful calcite flowstone walls, as well as another attractive collection of small stalactites at the drip sites.

Another cave can be found along the trail as it leads away from the cliff-edge and crosses a gully. There is a tiny sinkhole with a small opening in the rock-face, this is one of the entrances of Porcupine Cave. Do not enter this opening! Instead, proceed and enter a second sinkhole just over the ridge, as the entrance to the cave from this aspect is larger. Porcupine Cave is 10 metres long, and joins the two sinkholes. It is a classic solutional feature created by the dissolving of limestone by slowly moving water. It is fairly narrow at either end but opens up into a chamber in the middle with standing room. There are fine coral fossils on the ceiling in this chamber. There is also cave popcorn, which is recognized by its knob-like shape, resulting from concentric layering of tiny calcite crystals. The floor of this cave is covered with old porcupine droppings, hence the name.

Caves are fragile environments that need to be treated with the greatest respect. Under no circumstances should you touch the walls, take anything or leave anything.

Part of the park is closed to hunting. Please consult the current BC Hunting & Trapping Regulations Synopsis for hunting information.