Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area is a BC Parks recreation area along the Coquihalla Highway, about 45 kilometres north of Hope. BC Parks says it was established to protect the Coast-Cascade dry belt landscape and provide break opportunities for highway travellers.
The area transitions between coastal and southern interior environments and contains four different biogeoclimatic zones.
Coquihalla Summit is a high-country stop for Falls Lake hiking, fishing, wildlife viewing, winter travel, and highway-route history. The landscape includes impressive granite peaks, remnants of the Kettle Valley Railway, and the modern Coquihalla Highway corridor.
The Falls Lake Trail parking lot is about one kilometre west of Highway 5 from the Falls Lake turnoff. The trail is 1.5 kilometres long and leads to a scenic lake where visitors can fish for small rainbow trout. Falls Lake has a surface area of 25.6 hectares and an average depth of 10 metres.
Winter use is a major planning category. Backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, and winter camping occur in much of the recreation area, but heavy snowfall, rapidly changing coastal weather, and avalanche terrain require serious preparation.
Plan around Falls Lake hiking, rainbow trout fishing, leashed-pet walks, e-biking on signed or designated trails, horse riding on gravel roads and pipeline rights-of-way, hunting in season, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, and winter camping near Falls Lake.
Bring drinking water because potable water is not available. Motor vehicles, ATVs, and snowmobiles are limited to designated park roads. Use fuel stoves because campfires are not permitted for winter camping, review avalanche terrain maps, and carry avalanche safety gear if entering avalanche terrain.
