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Circle Tour - From East to West
Nimpo Lake
All roads except for Highway 20 are
gravel. You should be sure to check on local conditions before
embarking on your trip.
The community of Nimpo Lake is 185 miles or 296km west of
Williams Lake and is popularly known as the 'Floatplane capital
of BC' for the number of floatplanes that regularly use the
lake. The tiny community itself consists of a general store
that provides fuel, fishing licenses, gifts and souvenirs,
groceries, propane, fishing tackle, and just about anything
else you might need for your holiday here. There is also a
bakery and carwash nearby.
There are several resorts on Nimpo Lake providing accommodation
in cabins or rooms that range from rustic to luxurious, and
a resort that provides fine dining and a lounge in summer,
as well as a resort that provides in house gourmet meals included
with your lodge plan. Three resorts provide RV sites or camping
spaces with terrific views of Nimpo Lake and the Coast Mountain
Range and all resorts rent boats and motors for fishing. Because
Nimpo Lake is a relatively calm lake, it's a favorite for
canoeing and kayaking.
Nimpo Lake is a very cold lake up to 90 feet in depth with
lots of feed including freshwater shrimp for the native Rainbow
Trout that makes their flesh very similar to Salmon in color.
Because the lake is so cold the trout are firm and the fishing
is excellent year round with average fish going to three pounds
but fish over seven have been caught. The Rainbow trout can
be caught on flies or lures and will provide quite a fight
once they're on your line!
Nimpo Lake is the jumping off point for fly outs to remote
lakes, streams or rivers where you can fish all day for Rainbow
trout, Dolly Varden or Cutthroat trout. A local floatplane
charter based at Nimpo Lake will be delighted to take you
out to remote lakes for the day or overnight at an outpost
camp. You can fly into the alpine for a day of hiking or go
flightseeing over the spectacular Rainbow Mountains, Hunlen
Falls which at over a 1000 feet is the third highest freefalling
waterfall in Canada, or over the magnificent Monarch Icefields.
The charter can also take you into the Turner Lake Chain where
you can spend several days canoeing a string of beautiful
lakes set among the Coast Mountains.
There are several fishing lodges and wilderness camps that
are fly in only and they use Nimpo Lake as a base for taking
in their visitors and for supplies. At these lodges you can
enjoy premier fishing, wildlife viewing, photography, and
hiking in the alpine where you will see swaths of wild flowers
in summer, many of them very rare.
For those of you that may wish to fly your own plane into
Nimpo Lake, there is aviation fuel available. Elevation is
3655 feet and coordinates are 52.20'13.54 N and 125.09'28.64
W.
Locally, there are quite a number of trails available for
walking or biking. Simply inquire of your host where the trailheads
can be found. Nimpo Lake is also a very popular recreational
area in winter for cross country skiing, snowmobiling and
snowshoeing. In winters when an ice road is put on the lake,
it's popular for sightseeing, skating, biking and skate skiing.
Nearby parks include Tweedsmuir Park, the largest in British
Columbia and home to a large network of trails and myriad
wildlife as well as the Itcha Ilgatchuz Park which is entirely
inaccessible to any but hikers and trail riders. Guided hiking,
horse assisted hiking, and pack trip trail riding can be arranged
with your host and you will have an opportunity to see a variety
of wildlife including the largest Woodland Caribou herd in
BC. The Charlotte Alplands, another unroaded wilderness, is
nearby and is home to a variety of wildlife including caribou,
and an amazing variety of alpine wildflowers.
For more detailed information and images of Nimpo Lake and
Anahim Lake, please go to the Tour
Nimpo Lake Region page where you will find.
Operators - Nimpo Lake
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