Murtle Lake (Wells Gray Park)

CanadaBritish ColumbiaFraser
Submitter & Author Information
Route submitted by: 
Admin
Trip Date : 
Route Author: 
Unknown
Additional Route Information
Distance: 
48 km
Duration: 
3 days
Loop Trip: 
Yes
Portage Information
No. of portages: 
2
Total Portage Distance: 
5000 m
Longest Portage: 
2500 m
Difficulty Ratings
River Travel: 
Not applicable
Lake Travel: 
Intermediate
Portaging: 
Moderate
Remoteness: 
Novice
Background Trip Info
Water Levels: 
Route Description
Technical Guide: 

Access is north of Kamloops to Blue River. From Blue River, take a gravel road north for 27 km to the parking area inside Wells Gray Park.
P 2500 m to the lake
Spend 2-3 days (or longer) exploring the lake.
The western arm is 15 km long
The northern arm is 24 km long
Return via same route

Maps Required
Topo Maps (1:250,000): 
83 D Canoe River Other Maps Wells Gray Park map
Other
Special Comments: 

The lake is within Wells Gray Park, so registration is required. The west arm is busier than the northern one.

Comments

Post date: Sat, 04/24/2010 - 14:07

Comments: 

The road was very decent summer 2009. This is a great family getaway. You can rent wheels for the canoe in Blue River and the trail/portage (there really is only 1) is in excellent shape. Plus there are glacier fed creeks to stop at and quench your thirst along the portage. 9 out 10 for family canoe tripping.

Post date: Sat, 01/01/2000 - 07:00

Comments: 

The road in is decent now. I drove it summer 2005. The 2.5 km portage trail in is perfect for using canoe wheels. I'm not not sure why it is stated above that there is two portages. The north arm is not as pleasant as the west arm. Common Loons raft on the lake by the dozens around October.
Watch for sudden winds and stay close to shore.

Post date: Sat, 01/01/2000 - 07:00

Comments: 

The road to Murtle Lake is open and passable to sturdy cars. When we drove it in mid August 2003 there was even an RV that had driven to the end of the road. The area was open then even though there were some forest fires in the immediate area (for example, near Murtle Peak at the north end of the lake).

Post date: Sat, 01/01/2000 - 07:00

Comments: 

As discussed in one of the forums, the road to Murtle Lake is damaged and closed. The closure is "indefinite", probably because power boaters have no interest in the lake.