Gwillim Lake Park sits in the Rocky Mountain Foothills on Highway 29, about 56 kilometres southeast of Chetwynd and within a half-hour drive of Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge. BC Parks describes a peaceful lake setting with pine forest, shoreline, and mountain scenery.
The park is reached by paved access from Highway 29.
Gwillim Lake Park is a practical Peace region base for lake camping and broad outdoor recreation. Visitors can swim, canoe, kayak, waterski, windsurf, scuba dive or snorkel, hike, cycle on roads, and use a viewpoint for Rocky Mountain scenery. BC Parks also lists frontcountry camping reservation information for the park.
Fishing is a major official activity. Anglers may catch lake trout, bull trout, mountain whitefish, Arctic grayling, northern pike, and burbot. Ice fishing is allowed in winter, though the park road from Highway 29 to the lake is usually snowed in until late April or early May.
The park also has winter use, including snowshoeing and backcountry skiing, and special horseback and hunting opportunities in the Elephant Ridge addition under the rules described by BC Parks.
Plan around frontcountry camping, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, lake fishing, ice fishing, waterskiing, windsurfing, road cycling, viewpoint visits, scuba diving, climbing, winter snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, and wildlife viewing.
Easterly winds can create high waves in open water, so paddlers should be cautious. ORVs are prohibited. The school camp road is private and does not provide park access. Follow catch limits because the lake has low fish-regeneration capacity.
