Dead Man's Island Park is a small one hectare BC Parks site on an island in Burns Lake, two kilometres southeast of the village of Burns Lake. BC Parks says the park is used in summer and winter by local residents for picnicking and similar activities.
The island is accessible by boat only.
Dead Man's Island is a compact local destination for boaters, paddlers, swimmers, anglers, birders, and winter visitors who understand lake-ice risk. In summer, the island can be reached by a short two kilometre trip from the Burns Lake municipal boat launch.
Activities listed by BC Parks include swimming in Burns Lake, canoeing to the island, fishing, birding, leashed-pet visits, and winter access by skating, snowshoeing, skiing, or snowmobiling once Burns Lake is well frozen.
The park also has a long provincial history. It was established on October 31, 1933, then reclassified as a Class C provincial park on December 11, 1940. BC Parks notes that a history sign has been created by the Lakes District Museum Society.
The park protects a small portion of the Sub-Boreal Spruce dry cool subzone and the Bulkley Basin Ecosection.
Plan around boat-only island picnicking, summer swimming, canoe access from Burns Lake, fishing with the required licence, bird watching, leashed-pet stops, winter skating, snowshoeing, skiing, and snowmobiling when lake ice is safe.
Bring drinking water because potable water is not available. Confirm weather, lake conditions, boat access, and fishing rules before travelling, and do not venture onto Burns Lake in winter unless the lake is well frozen.
