Champion Lakes Provincial Park, Fruitvale, Salmo

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Champion Lakes
Champion Lakes Provincial Park is located about 18 km (11 miles) north-east of Fruitvale and 30 km (19 miles) north-west of Salmo. To get there, travel on Hwy 3B to the turnoff to Champion Lake Road and then go uphill past the golf course an additional 11 km (7 miles) to the park gates.

Park Highlights
The main highlights of Champion Lakes Provincial Park include the fabulous outdoor recreation found along a series of three connecting lakes within the park. This is an ideal spot for family camping, swimming, and watersports with a number of sandy beaches available, numerous hiking trails, and, with the appropriate license, fishing at all of the lakes.

Vehicle-Accessible Campground
Champion Lakes Provincial Park offers 95 vehicle-accessible campground areas, spanning and in between Third and Second Champion Lakes, of which 30 are reservable and the rest are on a first-come, first-served basis. Many of the campsites are very private and treed. Some have a large buffer zone of bushes between neighbouring campsites, and some are even located next to the lake, offering memorable views and private swimming areas.

Campsite Facilities
Each campsite has a fire-pit and a picnic table, with a combination of three flush toilet facilities, four sets of pit-toilets, and fresh well-water taps all conveniently located nearby in the campground. Campsite reservations at Champion Lakes Provincial Park are accepted through Discover Camping and you might want to consider this option during peak summer season. The campground is open all year long with no services between September 16th and May 31st. At this time, it is user maintained with no fees. A sani-station is open at the park for cleaning and emptying RV tanks between June 1st and August 31st.

Third Champion Lake
Third Champion Lake offers some excellent swimming opportunities at the day-use, picnic area of the park. Here you can find a large change room, picnic shelter, a float, a nice sandy beach, and a children's adventure playground. Just remember, as with all areas in the BC Parks system, there are no lifeguards present, so please keep an eye on all children and non-swimmers.

Angling Opportunities
The park also offers a concrete plank boat launch for non-motorized boats only, with kayaks and canoes being the most popular. With the appropriate fishing license, there are some angling opportunities for stocked Rainbow trout, especially in Second Champion Lake. During the winter when the lake freezes over, ice fishing is very popular with the locals.

Hiking
If you like walking, there are up to 6.5 km (4 miles) of hiking trails offered in Champion Lakes Provincial Park. The trails complete a circuit with separate loops around Third and Second Champion Lakes and route along a creek to the east side of First Campion Lake, returning through the thick forest to one of the boat launches. There is also the 750 metre (.5 mile) Lookout Trail that will take you up a steep ascent to an outcrop where there is a spectacular view of all three lakes.

Champion Lakes Golf and Country Club
Other recreational activities near the park include the 9 hole golf course at the Champion Lakes Golf and Country Club. Besides great golfing, the Champion Lakes Golf and Country Club offers a place to relax at the Eagle's Nest Restaurant, a full-service licensed facility with lots of seating, a large outdoor deck, and depending on the time, a full menu with a good selection of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items.

Beaver Valley Ski Club
During the winter, there is a network of cross-country ski trails that are situated around Champion Lakes Provincial Park. The parking lot and trailhead for Nordic skiing is located about 1 km (.6 mile) outside the entrance and is maintained by local volunteers from the Beaver Valley Ski Club.

Beaver Valley Ski Club

Grocery Stores and Fuel
There is a park gate located at the entrance that closes at 11:00pm and opens at 7:00am. For phone service in the park, unfortunately, there are no pay phones and the cell service is not always reliable. The closest grocery store and service station are in Fruitvale, 18 km (11 miles) south-west on Champion Lake Road and Hwy 3B. Salmo, which is 30 km (19 miles) away, has fuel, grocery, and liquor stores as well.

Bear Country
Just remember if you are enjoying the provincial parks and the countryside around British Columbia, please remember this is bear country. Try to avoid the rivers during heavy salmon spawning times unless you feel comfortable with bears around and take the usual precautions. There is also the possibilities of encounters with wolves or cougars so please play it safe.

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