Cathedral Park is a BC Parks alpine park southwest of Keremeos, between the Cascade Mountains and the Okanagan Valley. BC Parks describes jagged peaks, azure lakes, flowered alpine meadows, rock formations, and turquoise lakes set in granite.
Much of the park burned in the 2023 Crater Creek wildfire, opening the canopy and creating a visible ecological recovery story.
Cathedral Park is a hike-in alpine destination for camping, wilderness camping, hiking, climbing, fishing, and cold-lake scenery. Three well-defined trails provide access to the core area, and shorter trails connect lakes, meadows, and viewpoints once visitors are inside.
The lakes support rainbow and cutthroat trout through natural spawning habitat rather than hatchery stocking. Ladyslipper Lake is widely considered the best fishing lake in the park. Grimface, the Matriarch, and Macabre Tower offer mountaineering for experienced climbers.
The park sits in Lower Similkameen Indian Band traditional territory and has high cultural and spiritual significance. Its natural values include protected plant species, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, grizzly and black bears, sandhill crane, prairie falcon, and rare Sonoran skipper butterfly habitat.
Plan around core-area backpacking, alpine lake hikes, Lake of the Woods and Quiniscoe Lake camping, trout fishing, cold-water swimming, canoeing or kayaking, Grimface-area climbing, horseback access outside the core, and hunting outside the core in season.
There is no cell service, pets are not allowed, drones require permission, and water must always be boiled, filtered, or treated. Pack out garbage, bring paper maps, and check Lakeview Road and shuttle closures.
