Bonaparte Provincial Park is situated on Bonaparte Plateau, a large mid-elevation plateau from which it gets its name, near Bridge Lake. This 11,811 park is a pristine wilderness area and a very important conservation area with over 5,000 hectares of undeveloped watershed protected in the upper Deadman River region. Bonaparte is an excellent example of the Northern Thompson Uplands ecosystem encompassing sub-alpine forests, lakes, sedge meadows and riparian areas. Surrounding forests include a mix of Montane and Engelmann spruce, as well as other coniferous trees. Skoatl Point has spectacular views and features a volcanic plug, an interesting geological formation.
The park is important habitat for a variety of wildlife, such as fisher and sandhill cranes. Other residents of the park include martens, moose, timber wolves, loons, mule deer, black bears, beavers, ospreys and great horned owls. Most of the lakes contain wild stocks of rainbow trout and are very popular fishing destinations.
The park offers many recreational activities including hiking, canoeing, kayaking, wildlife viewing, fishing and adventure tourism. Horseback riding is permitted, but permission is required. In the winter you can snowshoe and the southern portion of the park is popular for snowmobiling. There are no maintained cross-country ski trails.
Wilderness camping is permitted, these campsites are very rustic. Park water is not drinkable, so visitors should bring their own supply. There is a Forest Recreation Site with pit toilets and picnic tables just outside the southeast corner of the park, at Windy Lake. This site is accessible by vehicle and makes a good base for hiking to Skoatl Point and exploring the southern part of the park. The park also contains four fly-in fishing resorts located at Bare Lake, Hoopatatkwa Lake, Dagger Lake and Hoover Lake. These privately-owned fishing resorts offer guided fishing tours.
Bonaparte Provincial Park is located on the Bonaparte Plateau south of Bonaparte Lake, approximately 55 km northwest of Kamloops, British Columbia. The park is accessed by float plane or via logging roads up Jamieson Creek, which is 25 km north of Kamloops on Westsyde Road.
Nearby Regions & Towns
Park Notices
