A campfire ban is currently in effect for this park. For more information about campfire bans and about provincial parks with park closures and campfire bans in effect, visit the BC Parks campfire ban webpage.
Park Info
Greenbush Lake Protected Area was established to protect important grizzly bear and mountain caribou habitat. The area also protects a good representation of old growth cedar, hemlock, spruce and subalpine fir found at mid to high elevation. Recreation opportunities are limited mostly to fishing and appreciating nature in a wilderness setting.
Park Size: 2820 hectares
Special Notes:
The old-growth forest provides a unique opportunity for bird watching in the protected aera that are rarely seen elsewhere in the Okanagan Valley. However, access is difficult.
Stay Safe:
Access to the protected area is on an active logging road. Use caution and try to follow radio equipped vehicles. The area is remote and users must be well prepared.
Bring your own drinking water as potable water is not available in the park.
Greenbush Lake is located 124 km north of Vernon. Take Hwy 97 to Vernon, then go east on Hwy 6 from for 47 km, through Lumby to Cherryville. At Cherryville, turn north onto Sugar Lake Road. Follow until the paved road ends becoming the gravel Sugar Lake Forest Service Road. Follow past Sugar Lake and along the Shuswap River for 53 km to the protected area. The Forest Service Recreation Site on the northwest side of Greenbush lake is just outside the protected area which surrounds it on the north, east and south sides. The recreation site provides the main access into the protected area. The closest communities, towns and cities are Cherryville, Lumby and Vernon.
Nature & Culture
History - Established on April 18, 2001 as part of the Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP process.
Cultural Heritage - There is a First Nations rediscovery camp on the north side of Greenbush Lake and evidence of trapping by European settlers.
Conservation - The area is representative of the Central Columbia Mountains Ecosection. It contains old-growth Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir and Interior cedar-hemlock forest types with exceptionally large cedar and spruce. The protected area provides important spring range for grizzly and critical cedar-hemlock habitat for caribou. British Columbia contains most of the world's population of Mountain caribou. They are blue-listed in British Columbia and depend heavily on old-growth forest to supply lichen for their winter diet. Increased habitat fragmentation and winter recreational use is putting pressure on remaining herds emphasizing the importance of the protected area.
Wildlife - Caribou, black and grizzly bear, wolverine, marten, lynx, cougar, hoary marmot and pileated woodpecker, yellow-rumped warbler, brown creeper and the blue-listed Townsend's big-eared bat are known to be in this area.
Rainbow trout and dolly varden, some as big as 4.5 pounds, are caught in Greenbush Lake. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
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.
Facilities Available At This Park
Vehicle Accessible Camping
There are no vehicle accessible camping facilities at this park. However, just outside of the protected area there are 3 large, level campsites with fire rings as well as an old outhouse and boat launch. These are Forest Service recreation sites and may not meet BC Parks standards.
