Park overview
Moose Valley Park comprises 2,322 hectares of rolling landscape scattered with lakes and wetlands. The park protects a chain of 12 small lakes, popular as a day or overnight canoeing destination.
It is an idyllic place to visit, rewarding paddlers with clear, shallow lakes and abundant aquatic plants and flowers. The many tiny reed-fringed islands and surrounding marshes provide excellent habitat for deer, moose, waterfowl and amphibians.
Canoeing along the Moose Valley Canoe Chain is the primary recreational activity, and both day and overnight trips are popular. Wetlands and sphagnum bogs can be accessed and viewed via canoe.
The park is a wonderful place to spend leisure time canoeing, bird-watching, and wildlife viewing. Camping areas are available at either end of the canoe route, but the only developed sites are located at the main access point at Marks Lake and at the north end of Maitland Lake.
Advisories
Safety info
- Drive with caution on access roads, which can become very slippery after rain. Four-wheel drive high clearance vehicles are recommended.
Special notes
- While the 1100 Road into Moose Valley isn’t maintained in winter, the area is still a haven for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
- A local outfitter offers one to two-day dog sled tours in the winter and guided canoe trips in the park.
Camping
There is a rustic campground at Marks Lake with three small camp sites. They each have a picnic table, fire ring, and a space to park a vehicle. They are nestled amongst the trees and are fairly shady.
All campsites are on a first come, first served basis. Campsite reservations are not accepted. There are no pay phones at this park and the closest store is in 100 Mile House. The campsites are open year-round if accessible.
Wilderness camping is allowed, but no facilities are provided.
Facilities
Firewood is not provided. Firewood may be purchased outside the park, or you can bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary from park to 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.
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.
Campfire bans may be in place. Before lighting a fire, check for bans or restrictions on BC Wildfire Service and on local or Indigenous government websites.
Activities
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
The canoe route consists of a chain of 12 small lakes and is popular for day and overnight trips. The main canoe launch at Marks Lake provides parking as well as three campsites and a pit toilet.
Maitland and Kirkland Lakes are also accessible by walking trail. The floating peat bogs are very sensitive to degradation by canoeists during low water levels. Because of this, portions of the chain may be restricted during such times.
The canoe route consists of a chain of 12 small lakes and is popular for day and overnight trips. The main canoe launch at Marks Lake provides parking as well as three campsites and a pit toilet.
Maitland and Kirkland Lakes are also accessible by walking trail. The floating peat bogs are very sensitive to degradation by canoeists during low water levels. Because of this, portions of the chain may be restricted during such times.
This park is open to hunting. Please check the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis for more information.
The park is located approximately 31 km west of 100 Mile House, and can be accessed by driving west on the Exeter Station Road. This road leaves Hwy 97 just north of downtown 100 Mile House, and should be followed to the junction with the 1100 Road. Continue west on the 1100 Road to the 1117 marker. Here, turn right onto the one-lane road and continue in a northwest direction to the main access point of the canoe route at Marks Lake (approximately 9 km). This road is best suited to four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicles. For additional map information, please refer to topographical map numbers: 1:50,000 Gustafsen Lake 92P/12 or 1:250,000 Bonaparte River 92P.
Park and activity maps
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: July 12, 1995
- Size: 2,500 hectares
Nature and culture
History
This area was proposed for protection through the Cariboo public CORE process, and was originally designated a park through the Cariboo Chilcotin Land Use Plan in 1995.
Lake names recognize the efforts of those who established the canoeing area. Stuart Maitland first cleared and named portages linking the main lakes in the Moose Valley Canoe Chain in the early 1970s, with assistance from Hugh Kirkland and Kevin Marks.
These three ambitious young men were in their late teens at the time, and independently sought government assistance to do the work. Today, the three main lakes in the chain are named after the youth who first developed the route. The route was later upgraded in 1987/88 by youth members of the Provincial Job Trac program.
Conservation
Moose Valley Park protects relatively undisturbed wetlands nestled within a dry rolling landscape. These numerous wetlands and small lakes provide habitat for a variety of wildlife species, and are also very rich in delicate sphagnum mosses, which are an important part of the ecosystem. It has been shown that water is purified as it travels through this vegetation.
The floating peat bogs are very sensitive to degradation by canoeists during low water levels. Because of this, portions of the chain may be restricted during such times. Please do not attempt to push your canoe through at low water.
The landscape in and surrounding the park provides a snapshot of the area’s glacial history. This extensive wetland complex was the result of the last ice age. Lakes and small ponds were left behind following the melting of large chunks of buried glacial ice. Now they are annually replenished by snow-melt and underground springs. The forested rocky outcrops surrounding the park are also a product of the last ice age.
Wildlife
The numerous wetlands and small lakes provide habitat for muskrat and beaver, waterfowl, and of course moose. This area abounds with birds such as owls, hawks, grouse, woodpeckers, ducks, loons, grebes, sandhill cranes and a wide variety of songbirds.
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.