Tunkwa Provincial Park contains two large, man-made trout-fishing lakes, Tunkwa and Leighton, with campgrounds located on both lakes. Tunkwa is listed in the top 10 provincial rainbow trout fisheries. This park protects mid elevation grasslands, forests, lakes, and wetlands including bogs and ponds. This is a year-round recreation area, noted for camping, hunting, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
Established Date: April 30, 1996
Park Size: 5,138 hectares
At Tunkwa Park there are three separate campgrounds, Tunkwa, Leighton and Leighton North. Combined, the three campgrounds offer 55 traditional style sites and 220 informal sites.
The traditional sites are typical of those found in BC Parks. They can accommodate camping units from a tent to a large recreational vehicle. The sites are in both treed and open grassy areas. The informal sites allow for groups of camping units to camp together. Some of these group sites are in treed areas, however some are out in the open with no trees or shade. All three campgrounds offer both styles of camping. If there are no staff at the campground upon arrival, choose a site and pay later. Staff will be at the campground at least once a day during the camping season. The entrance gates are not locked at night. The nearest pay phone is right where you enter Tunkwa campground and the nearest amenities are in Logan Lake.
Sites 54 – 66 and 70 – 79 are designated as “long-stay” sites.
A minimum of 4 consecutive weeks must be booked. The long stay program is from May 1 to October 12 in this park. Please contact the Park Operator to book one of these sites. Information on other parks participating in this pilot program, or a link to the Long Stay Policy document, is available on the Frontcountry Camping Policies and Fees page.
Long-stay camping available. $70/week
Accessibility information is available for this park, as well as these areas of the park:
Firewood can be purchased from the Park Operator or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary. To preserve vegetation and ground cover, it is prohibited to gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park. Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil. You can conserve firewood and air quality by keeping your campfire small. If you rely on campfires for cooking, be prepared to bring a portable stove should a campfire ban be implemented.
Visitors can hike the grasslands or do a long wander around Tunkwa Lake.
Both lakes are popular for trout fishing. Lakes are stocked annually with rainbow trout. Fishing is from boats, float tubes, canoes and from shore. There are no fish cleaning stations. Fish must be cleaned out in the lake. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has a fun, hands on, Learn to Fish Program that will teach basic angling skills to youth under 16 years old. Check back to this page or ask the Park Operator for information.
The park is located midway between Savona and Logan Lake on the southern Thompson Plateau, about 40 km southwest of Kamloops. It is accessed via 24 km of paved road from Savona or 16 km from Logan Lake on the Tunkwa Lake Road.
This park proudly operated by:
Brandywine Environmental Management Ltd.
parkinquiries@telus.net
250 320-9305
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.