Alice Lake Provinical Park is a popular spot located approximately 13km North of Squamish, BC off of Highway 99. It is a beautiful spot surrounded by mountains, dense forests and grassy picnic areas.
There are four fresh water lakes that make swimming and fishing very enjoyable in this area. The trail around Alice Lake is a popular one. For the more adventurous there is the Four Lakes Trail. There are also excellent views of the Squamish River and the Tantalus Range from the DeBeck’s Hill Trail. This park is definitely a favorite with families and usually Reservations for the campground fill up fast!
I could not believe how full the parking lot was! If it is this busy in October, I can only imagine how busy it would be in the summer!
The Park signs were well placed and easy to read, though hard to get clear photos of with the Covid-19 Precaution signs overhanging them!
Alice Lake Park was Established in 1956 and named for the wife of Charles Rose who settled in the district in 1888. I love visiting these parks and learning some history of our province at the same time!
I found a picnic table to sit at and enjoy my lunch and it happened to be just down from the Playground and Rock Climbing Area for the kids. It took some time before I could snap a photo without kids playing on it, as it was a very popular spot! The kids really enjoyed jumping from rock to rock and climbing around, almost more than the actual playground itself.
This park is very accessible with lots of paved pathways and picnic tables marked for those with Disabilities so they do not have to venture onto the gravel. The paths were all well groomed and mostly flat, with small wooden bridges over the creeks and marshy areas.
Unfortunately there were signs everywhere saying No Dogs past this point! No Dogs on the beach, or on the lake trail! I had my dog with me and had looked up the park ahead of time to ensure Dogs were allowed, and it said as long as they were on leash, however the signs around the park and Day Use Area stated the trail was no longer Dog Friendly Year Round! So I poured her some food and left her in the truck while I hurriedly snapped the photos above of the lake and areas I was not allowed to bring her. She was content in her bed when I returned to the truck.
After exploring most of the Day Use Area, I drove down to the South Beach Day Use Area and wish I had gone sooner! The parking area was much smaller, but also much quieter. There is a dock to walk on, a floating dock to swim out to, a swimming area, and lots of picnic tables to sit at and enjoy the fall scenery.
There was nobody swimming, but lots of people sitting enjoying the view and all of the sounds of nature. I saw quite a few canoes and kayaks on the lake and there were lots of cyclists riding through the campground and exploring the trails along the lake. This is definitely a beautiful but popular place to come visit, even in the Fall!
For more information on Alice Lake Provincial Park, check out the BC Parks Website Here. Remember if you are planning on camping to book early!! Every year I have tried to Reserve a campsite it is full so I have yet to camp here.
From here I decided to continue up Highway 99 and try to find a less busy place to park and enjoy nature. I spotted a sign for a Recreation Site and turned up a random FSR to explore! Read more about that adventure Here.
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Until next time, keep adventuring and don’t forget to Take a Backroad, not the Highway