Tyhee Lake Provincial Park
Smithers, British Columbia, Canada

Tyhee Lake Provincial Park is a beautiful recreation park on the sandy shores of Tyhee Lake located just up the hill from the Village of Telkwa which is east on Hwy 16 of Smithers, British Columbia, Canada.

The heavily forested park is a welcome retreat in the Bulkley Valley attracting many to the area including hikers, boaters, canoers, swimmers, bird watchers, campers and people who like to fish. The park is a good distance away from the city noise and commotion in Telkwa, yet it is a quick drive and close enough to Smithers to replenish any supplies.

The lake park is one of the larger parks in the area offering quiet time on a very large lake and some fantastic views of the surrounding hillside and of the Babine Mountains on a clear day. The park covers over 40 hectares of land and includes a boat launch and over 200 metres of sandy beachfront on Tyhee Lake.

The beachfront is located in the Day Use Area of the park and the boat launch is accessed via a gravel road before you reach the main parking lot. In the Day Use Area a portion of the lake is roped off and designated as a swimming area. Plus the shoreline of the Day Use Area is a large grassy field with 26 picnic tables, a picnic shelter, fire pits, a playground, showers and toilets.

The Tyhee Provincial Park forest is mostly second growth aspen trees. Navigating the forest and the lakeshore is possible along the 2.5 km hiking trail that leads around the lake called the Aldermere Trail. Around the late 1800's the trail was used by the settlers to connect to the town of Aldermere and to access the lake for ice to use in their cellars in the summer. Aldermere is long gone, the trail is still around.

A viewing platform, located by the boat launch, is on the trail and it is a very popular place for bird watchers to meet because it overlooks the lake marsh and wetland area often visited by resident and migratory birds. Because of the dead trees and windfall scattered among the bulrushes and cattails in the marsh, the area is often a popular nesting location for many birds.

The large private campsites are forested and are complete with fire pits and a picnic table. The campground has showers and flush toilets. Wood is supplied by the park attendant for a fee.

How to get to the Tyhee Lake Provincial Park : Travel east from the Village of Smithers on Hwy 16 towards the Village of Telkwa. Just before entering Telkwa (pass Eddy Park you have gone too far) take a left onto Telkwa High Road. Continue traveling down the road to Tyhee Road and take a right to the park.