http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/otter_lk/

Otter Lake Provincial Park is located about 30 minutes northwest of Princeton and is well marked. It is a paved road but is has lots of twist and turns and when the signs say, “watch for rocks on road” or “no stopping due to falling rocks” they are not kidding.  Watch for wildlife too; we have seen deer and bears along the way. Although it is not the greatest road once there it is worth the trip. The lake is pristine clear and the campground is truly a get away.

Here are my thought on the campground.

 

• Recommended Sites: Most sites at this campground are a nice size and have good privacy. If you are looking for a double site I would recommend 24/25 or 28/29. Both are large, very close to the beach, have good privacy, sun/shade balance and near washrooms with 23/24 having a beach view. 14/15 and 12/13 also have nice views, are large and have good privacy but they are a bit further from the beach. For single sites 17 and 18 have great views and privacy as well as are nice sizes but really this is not a large park and all sites are close to the beach. If you need a pull through site book 11 as your first choice for location followed by 34.  If you can,avoid the sites along Otter Lake Road  as well as sites 1,2,44, 45 26 and 23 which are on the main entrance road. Getting one of these sites should not be a deal breaker but if you can avoid them,try. This park has lots of large trees so if you have a really big trailer you may have a hard time parking it in some of the sites. Pay careful attention to the recommended trailer size for the sites.
• Campground Highlights
  

  Playing at the day use beach

  1. The campground is located on a clean swimming and fishing lake.
  2. Great biking/hiking trail along the Trans Canada Trail that can be accessed from the day use park.
  3. Great beach at the day use park, about  5 km from the campground
  4. Several campsites have great views.
  5. Large, level, gravel sites
  6. Pit and Flush toilets
  7. Very remote feeling campground
  8. Only 5 km from Tulameen for grocery shopping, shower and laundry.
  9. Hot summer weather
  10. Pet beach and pet area
  11. Boat Launch
• Campground Lowlights
  

  Bridge that leads to the Trans Canada Trail.

  1. No Showers and half the toilets are pit toilets
  2. No hook ups
  3. Only pit toilets at the day use park
  4. Very narrow, windy road from Princeton to Tulameen (30 km)
  5. If you want activities outside of the great outdoor, this is not the campground
  6. No Sani Dump at the park
• Things to do
  1. Hike/walk/bike the Trans Canada Trail.
  2. Fishing
  3. Canoeing and kayaking
  4. Golf 30 Minutes away
• Links
  1. Princeton golf- http://www.golfmercercounty.com/course_princetoncc/
  2. Trans Canada Trail – http://bctrail.ca/trips/princeton/
  3. Tulameen Infomation – http://www.tulameenbc.com/about.htm

Our Trip

Camping at Otter Lake use to be a yearly trip for us when our children were young. We would head up there with 3 other families and set up camp for 4 nights. Our last double site was 28/29 and it was very large site with quick access to the beach. The last single site we had was 17 and it offered a great view across the lake, good shade and ample camping space. From this site the mom’s could relax with a beverage and wave at our kids and husbands who where biking the Trans Canada Trail on the other side of the lake.

Each day either the moms or the dads would take turns driving into Princeton to go golfing at the Princeton Golf Course. This is a fun course built on the side of a hill and due to the extreme temperatures I would highly recommend a golf cart. To date this is still one of my favorite courses to golf; fun greens, not terribly busy, limited water, great prices and lots of sunshine. My kind of golfing.

Each family also organized a nightly activity for the kids, scavenger hunts, crafts or games and while another family organized a group dinner. It was a great way to do it because you only had to think of one large dinner and one kids activity. You then got two nights off from any work. It was a great vacation for both the kids and the parents.

The campground does have a beach as well as a pet beach but it is small so a couple of days we opted to pack up the vehicles and make the 5km drive into Tulameen to use the day use park. The beach there is beautiful and then you can walk into town for ice cream or lunch. This is also the enterance spot for the Trans Canada Trail which is a must do if you are in the area. We would also take the group onto Princeton to walk the tunnel to the river for some fun creek bed swimming and rock climbing.

There is lots to do in the area and most of it involves enjoying the great outdoors without electronics or expensive tourist attractions.