Mabel Lake Park is reached from Vernon by Highway 6, Lumby, and Mabel Lake Road, with BC Parks giving the total distance from Vernon as 60 kilometres. The park sits in a mountain setting with sandy shoreline, hemlock, red cedar, birch, and a cooler feel than the Okanagan Valley.
BC Parks describes Mabel Lake as a 35-kilometre lake with camping, beaches, fishing, paddling, and wildlife activity.
Mabel Lake is a good fit for visitors who want a lake campground with broad water recreation and a forested setting. The main beach is large and sandy, with another smaller beach near Monashee Campground. Both swimming areas are marked with buoys, but there are no lifeguards.
The park also has a compact interpretive trail. The one-kilometre Changing Rainforest trail winds through shaded mossy forest between the campsites and the main road, taking about 30 minutes. Fishing is a major draw, with BC Parks noting year-round opportunities for rainbow trout and local fishing derbies.
The landscape marks a transition from drier Okanagan forests to the wetter Shuswap Highlands and Monashee Mountains.
Camp, swim, paddle, kayak, fish for rainbow trout, waterski, walk the Changing Rainforest trail, watch wildlife in spring and fall, cycle on roadways, and use the designated dog beach between the boat launch and swimming area.
Mabel Lake can see sudden weather changes and gusty winds, and the lake bottom drops steeply from the beach. Keep pets leashed outside the dog area and keep e-bikes off trails.
