Bowron Lake Park is a large BC Parks wilderness area on the western slopes of the Cariboo Mountain Range, about 120 kilometres east of Quesnel. BC Parks is best known here for the 116 kilometre Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit, a chain of waterways and portages.
The full circuit usually takes six to 10 days, while the West Side can be paddled in two to four days.
Bowron Lake is one of British Columbia's signature canoe destinations. BC Parks recommends that only people with some wilderness canoeing experience attempt the circuit, and says canoe-circuit reservations are essential because departures are limited and often sell out when they become available.
The park also has a 25-unit drive-in campground near the registration centre, a short distance from Bowron Lake, plus a few nearby short walking trails. Away from the campground, the circuit moves through varied topography: rounded Quesnel Highlands on the west side and the more imposing Cariboo Mountains along the eastern and southern sections.
Activities include canoeing, kayaking, swimming at sandy lake beaches, fishing for bull trout, kokanee, rainbow trout, and lake trout, hiking short trails to Cariboo River Falls and Hunter Lake viewpoints, hunting in season, and winter use of canoe portages as ski routes without set tracks.
Plan around the canoe circuit, West Side paddling trips, 10.8 kilometres of portages, drive-in camping, backcountry camping, swimming, fishing, short viewpoint hikes, road cycling, and winter cross-country skiing.
Bear-proof caches must be used at designated campsites. There is no cellphone reception on the circuit, dogs are not allowed on it, motorized boats are prohibited, and group-size, canoe-cart, and reservation rules are strict.
