Okanagan. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
- If you travel off the beaten path in this park, let someone know where you are going and carry a compass. Areas bordering the park include canyons and beautiful, rugged terrain which can be confusing.
- The extremely hot, dry Okanagan climate can result in overexposure to the sun. Sunscreen and a hat should be used during long periods in the sun.
- Currents can be deceptively fast in streams. Cross them with caution and be sure of your footing at all times.
- Accessing the park using secondary forestry roads from B.C.’s lower mainland, as suggested by Google, is not recommended. These routes are unreliable and are not safe.
Special notes
- Off-road ATV use is prohibited within this park.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Getting there
The park is located 33 km northwest of Princeton off Hwy 5A toward Coalmont and Tulameen. The route is well marked with signs. There is also access from Hwy 97C, Coquihalla Connector Hwy. Turn at Aspen Grove, which is Hwy 5A, and follow signs. A 34 km gravel road leaves Hwy 5A just past the Kentucky-Alleyne turnoff. It leads through sections of the Nicola Ranch to approach Otter Lake from the north. The roads, both from Tulameen and the gravel road from the north, are narrow and winding with limited visibility. Use caution and yield to logging trucks.
Accessing the park using secondary forestry roads from B.C.’s lower mainland, as suggested by Google, is not recommended. These routes are unreliable and are not safe.
Camping
Frontcountry camping
This park offers vehicle-accessible campsites, including five double sites and five pull-through sites. The pull-through sites have slightly curved parking and may not accommodate motorhomes over 30 ft.
The gate to the park is closed during the off-season. While there is no gatehouse, an information shelter, telephone and handpump water source are located at the entrance to the park.
The small sites are spread out in a dense forest of Douglas fir trees that provides privacy, shade and a natural setting. Large, mature Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine are found in small numbers. Though the abundance of trees adds to the ambience of the campground, they may also make the entrances to some of the sites a little narrow for some larger RVs. The sites are gravel and have a fire ring and picnic table on a cement pad. There are no BBQ attachments.
The park offers services during the peak season. During this time, all of the sites in Otter Lake campground are reservable and non-occupied reservation sites can accommodate first come, first served customers for one, or perhaps more nights, depending on availability.
| Vehicle-accessible camping fee | $23 per party per night |
| BC seniors’ rate (day after Labour Day to June 14 only) | $11.50 per senior party per night |
For information on the BC seniors’ rate, see the camping fees page.
Frontcountry campgrounds
Things to do
There is a nature trail along the lake. If you travel off the beaten path in this park, let someone know where you are going and carry a compass. Areas bordering the park include canyons and beautiful, rugged terrain which can be confusing.
Across the lake, and visible from the campground and day-use area, is the Trans Canada Trail. The Trans Canada Trail is a shared-use recreation trail that winds its way through every province and territory forming the longest trail of its kind in the world. It spans approximately 17,898 km. It follows the Kettle Valley Railway line past Otter Lake on its way from Princeton to Merritt.
The Trans Canada Trail accommodates five core activities:
- walking, cycling
- horseback riding
- cross-country skiing
- snowmobiling (where possible)
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.
A small beach at the campground boat launch provides a spot to swim, though it is better at the day-use area in Tulameen.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
Canoeing and kayaking allowed on Otter Lake. The narrow lake is ideal for non-motorized watercraft with plenty of shoreline to explore opposite the campground.
Otter Lake is stocked by the Summerland Trout Hatchery with rainbow trout fry resulting in excellent sport fishing opportunities. Ice fishing is possible on Otter Lake.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
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 Otter Lake 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.
Facilities
Accessibility information is available for this park.
The campground has a concrete, single lane boat launch without a dock.
Caution: in August, when water is low, the campsite boat launch drops off at the end of the launch about 5” to 6”. There is a small gravel turn-around area above the boat launch which is accessed from the 17 spot gravel parking lot via a short, single lane gravel road. Two pit toilets are in the trees beside the parking lot along with two horseshoe pits. A narrow strip of coarse sand extends from the boat launch towards the western shore of the lake. There is also a public gravel boat launch in Tulameen.
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.
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.
Otter Lake has a day-use and picnic area approximately 5 km south of the campground in Tulameen at the end of Sixth Street. It is a popular spot with residents. There is parking for roughly 20 vehicles. Six tables are located around the edge of an open, grassy area. Shrubs and aspen provide shade around the tables.
There are two pit toilets (neither are wheelchair-accessible) and a hand pump for well water. A beach of fine sand forms a strip around the end of the lake which is great for swimming. Though there are no buoys, an anchored wooden float sits off shore. The water is clear and the bottom sandy with a few pebbles.
About this park
Tulameen, just 5 km south of the campground, is an area steeped in mining history and pioneer legend. It was formerly used by First Nations as a base camp for hunting and trapping. The fur trade attracted the Hudson’s Bay Company to the area and their fur brigades used a route which passed through the town. They named it “Encampment des Femmes” after the women who waited for their men out trapping or on the brigades. (Also known as Otter Flat in later years this spot was officially named Tulameen in 1901, an indigenous name referring to deposits of “red earth” (ochre) found in this area).
Gold brought people to the region in the late 1890s and Granite Creek became the third largest city in B.C. rivalling Vancouver and Victoria. Communities sprung up on the strength of the coal and copper mining industry and attracted the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) and the Granby Mining Company. The region became Canada’s sole supplier of platinum and its coal powered the KVR and the VV&E, part of the Great Northern Railway. Today, crumbling building foundations and the empty rail-bed of the KVR winding towards the horizon are echoes of a prosperous past.
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.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Park operator | This park is operated by Kaloya Contracting Ltd. Please specify the park name when sending or leaving a message. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
