Big Lake Forest Recreation Site

This lakeside campsite at the entrance to the fabled remote Nemiah Valley has been a highlight of our ongoing month-long sojourn in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. Well worth the 65km gravel road detour south-west from Hwy 20 at Hanceville. Stunning distant views of 3000m high Mt Tatlow (Tŝ’ilʔoŝ) with its snow-clad slopes across the aptly-named Big Lake, where (due to the unusually late Spring) the winter ice cover was still breaking up when we arrived there on May 12, 2022, and a bracingly cold wind periodically blew across the water. But we dressed accordingly and our little Droplet teardrop camper (built in Burnaby, BC - check their website!) and Nakie super-lightweight blankets keep us toasty warm at night. This BC Forest-run, Xeni Gwet'in First Nations Government-owned site is brilliantly managed by one of the most fascinating, kindest, self-sufficient and overall neatest couples you could ever hope to meet, Udette and Roland Class, who have their beautiful, off-grid, compact and utterly cosy private home and several guest lodge chalets on a separate site nearby also with a “million dollar” lake and mountain view. Thanks to Udette and Roland’s superior maintenance standards, this remote campsite has the cleanest pit toilet in the universe, bar none!! Just be sure to bring in your own potable water (we brought 15 gallons and still had about 5 gallons left when we departed after 4 nights). Roland and Udette are a great source of tips for exploring, from 34 yrs living there. Bravo!

Beautiful lake and very clean camp spots and outhouse. The camp hosts were helpful and were great to chat with. We will definitely go back