Conkle Lake Provincial Park

The access to Conkle Lake Provincial Park campsite, with 34 sites, has been reopened via Johnstone Creek Road West, from highway #3, near Rock Creek. A landslide continues to block the access route to Conkle Lake, via the Conkle-Ripperto FSR, from Hwy #33. Road accesses were washed out by heavier than normal freshet over the last two weeks. The forest engineering section of FLNRO is acting quickly to restore all accesses to the park.

The road to Xenia Lake campground (4 sites), within Gladstone Provincial Park, is washed out and is no longer accessible to vehicles. The rough 1.7 km road into Xenia Lake is off the Miller Creek Forest Service road, east of North Fork road, all north of Grand Forks. The campground is still accessible to hikers who can walk up the damaged road.

About This Park

A secluded lake in the Okanagan Highland east of Osoyoos, set amid a forest of western larch and lodgepole pine intermingling with willow and black alder that cover the sharply rising surrounding hills. Conkle Lake, named for W.H. Conkle, an early settler in the nearby Kettle Valley, is noted for its rainbow trout. Visitors have come for many years to fish the lake, sunbathe, swim and hike to various viewpoints.

Park Size: 587 hectares.

Special Notes:

There is a steep drop-off from the beach.
Loose rock and steep cliffs throughout the park.
Wood ticks are most prevalent between March and June. These parasites live in tall grass and low shrubs, and seek out warm-blooded hosts. As potential carriers of disease, they should be avoided. Protect your legs by wearing gaiters, or pants tucked into socks. After any outdoor activities, thoroughly examine yourself, children and pets. If you find a tick embedded in your skin, the best way to remove it is by grasping and pulling it, gently, straight up and out with a small pair of tweezers, and disinfecting the site with rubbing alcohol. You may wish to save the tick in a small plastic or glass container for later inspection by your doctor especially if a fever develops, or the area around the bite appears to be infected.

Campground Hours of Operation All dates are subject to change without notice
Opening and Closing Campground Dates: (campground is accessible but may not offer full services such as water, security, etc.)	Accessible year round, weather permitting
Campground Dates with Full Services and Fees:	May 16 – September 3 approximately
Campground Reservable Dates:	Not applicable
Total Number of Vehicle Accessible Campsites:	34
Number of Reservable Campsites, if applicable: (all remaining sites are first-come, first-served)	Not applicable
Note: The above information is for the campground only. Park users can still walk into the park if conditions such as weather permit. Check the "Attention Visitor Notice" above for park alerts.

Reservations

Group Camp/Picnic Reservations:
Group campsite and/or group picnic site reservations are accepted at this park through Discover Camping.

Location and Maps

Location Map

There are two access routes, both narrow and winding forest service roads that are unsuitable for motorhomes, vehicles towing trailers or low-clearance vehicles. It is 16 km to the entrance from Highway 33, just north of Westbridge and 26 kilometres from Highway 3, six km east of Bridesville. The access off Highway 3 is the better route. Follow signs along the forest service roads. The two accesses join 1 km from the park, at which point there is a gate. The closest communities, towns and cities are Rock Creek, Westbridge, Midway, Greenwood and Osoyoos.

Maps and Brochures

Any maps listed are for information only - they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.

Park Map [PDF 50KB]

Nature and Culture

History - The lake is fed by East Creek and is drained by Conkle Creek to the north, which eventually joins the West Kettle River near Westbridge. Conkle Lake, Creek and nearby Mountain are named for W.H. Conkle, who settled in the kettle Valley in the 1890’s. Two rustic log cabins near the park entrance were once part of a fishing resort that catered to anglers who came to the lake to fish for rainbow trout. The resort no longer operates, but the fish are still in Conkle Lake.
Conservation - The park is representative of the Okanagan Highlands landscape with good deer, elk and moose range. The Okanagan Highlands landscape has very few protected areas which increases the importance of Conkle Lake on a provincial scale. The dominant plant community in the park is a mixed forest of lodgepole pine and immature Western larch. Logging and a fire in the 1930’s left few of the original mature larch standing. Black alder and willow are profuse along the lakeshore and in the East Creek delta. Common shrubs and flowering plants include false box, Oregon grape, broadleaf arnica, lupine and red paintbrush.
Wildlife - Bird species often seen include the common loon, common merganser, ruffed grouse, pileated woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, and ruby-crowned kinglet. Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment. Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife. For more information on bear safety, click here. Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment. Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife. For more information on bear safety, click here.
General Wildlife, Marine & Outdoor Ethics Information

Management Planning

Management Planning Information

The Purpose Statement and Zoning Plan is now available online in pdf format.

Activities Available at this Park

Canoeing

There are paddling, canoeing and kayaking opportunities at this park enhanced by the motorboat size restriction.

Cycling

Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.

Fishing

Conkle Lake is a destination for fishing. It is stocked with rainbow trout fry by the Summerland Trout Hatchery. The three kilometre long lake is framed by steep hillsides and fed by East Creek. Conkle Creek drains the lake and eventually joins the Kettle River. There is ice fishing, though access is difficult. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.

Hiking

There is limited hiking available in the park. Starting between campsites 32 and 33 inside of the park, there is a 2 km trail travelling part way around the lake to a waterfall, which is outside of the park. Please use extreme caution while approaching the steep and hazardous cliffs at the waterfall.

For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.

Pets on Leash

Pets/domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.

Swimming

The large beach and cold, clear water of Conkle Lake make it a good place for swimming. There are no lifeguards on duty at provincial parks.

Windsurfing

The regular southerly winds create windsurfing opportunities.

Winter Recreation

There is some snowmobiling along the forest service roads that lead into the park.

There is ice fishing, though access is difficult. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.

Facilities Available at this Park

Boat Launch

There is a boat launch at this park. Boats with motors exceeding 10 hp are not permitted on the lake and the boat launch is most suited to small trailered boats or car top boats. It consists of a small, single wide section of beach marked by rocks. There is a turn-around area and parking is 100m back up the road in the large gravel parking lot that also serves the beach and the walk-in group tenting site.

Campfires

While campfires are allowed and campfire rings are provided at each campsite, we encourage visitors to conserve wood and protect the environment by minimizing the use of fire and using campstoves instead. Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own wood. Fees for firewood are set locally and may vary from park to park. Limited burning hours or campfire bans may be implemented. To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don't gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park Act). Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil.

Drinking Water

There are two hand pumps in the park, one in the campground and one at the boat launch.

Group Camping

There are 2 group campsites at this park. The walk-in area mentioned above and a vehicle accessible site at the entrance to the campground across from the information shelter. There are 7 small sites around a larger central opening. There are two pit toilets and a large central fire pit. The picnic tables can be arranged to suit a variety of groups. The sites are best suited to trucks with campers or tents. Click here for reservation information.

Youth group camping charges per night are $1/person (6+), with a $50 minimum and $150 maximum.

Regular group camping charges per night are the base rate for the site, listed in the fee schedule, plus $4/adult (16+, minimum charge for 15 adults), plus $1/child (6-15).

Picnic Areas

The day-use area is a natural sandy beach at the north end of the lake. The beach was created by wave action, the result of strong southerly winds that are a regular phenomenon at this altitude. There are stairs down from the large gravel parking area found 100m above the beach. There are also steep trails with some stairs leading down from the campground. It is possible to drive down and drop people off at the beach. There is no parking at the beach/boat launch. There are four picnic tables and two benches on the large beach. The view down the lake is beautiful. An open grassy area separates the picnic tables from the surrounding forest. A few widely spaced trees offer some shade along the beach. There is a handpump for drinking water by the boat launch and four pit toilets back in the trees behind the tables. There are no buoys to mark the swimming area.

Pit or Flush Toilets

This park only has pit toilets - no flush toilets. The toilets are conveniently located throughout the campground for easy access by all of the sites.

Vehicle Accessible Camping

This park offers 34 vehicle accessible campsites, including four double sites, all available on a first-come, first-served basis. The park is maintained from May 16 to Sept 3 and, while camping is permitted year round, access is very difficult. There is an information shelter near the campground entrance and campers can self-register if no staff are present. Roads in the campground are gravel and the sites are rustic and natural to offer an old-fashioned camping experience not often found in the busy Okanagan Valley. The medium sized sites are well spaced and set in a thick young forest of Douglas fir, larch, cedar and lodgepole pine that offer shade and contribute to privacy. The sites are found in a strip overlooking the lake, views are through the thick forest, with a small loop at the western end. Steep trails lead roughly 100 m down to the lake. There is no phone in the park and the nearest services are in Rock Creek.

Vehicle Accessible Camping Fee: $16.00 per party / night

Walk-In/Wilderness Camping

There is walk-in camping above the day-use area. It is 20 m off the day-use parking area and acts as a group site as well. There are five picnic tables, one pit toilet and a central fire pit. The area is open and natural with no tent pads and is surrounded by dense young forest with a few mature trees. There is room for 5-10 tents.