
Swan Lake Provincial Park
Cariboo & North · about 1 h 30 min from Fort St. John · 45 reservable sites
No observation availableavailability unverified this weekend (Fri 23–Sun 25)Fresh complete observations are not available; check the official reservation service
A small picturesque lakeshore park that offers boating, swimming, a grassy campground and day-use area, baseball diamonds and playground area. Established Date: June 19, 1918 Park Size: 82 hectares •History: Established…more
A small picturesque lakeshore park that offers boating, swimming, a grassy campground and day-use area, baseball diamonds and playground area.
Established Date: June 19, 1918
Park Size: 82 hectares
•History: Established in 1918, it has the distinction of being British Columbia’s third oldest park.
•Conservation: Swan Lake Park provides representation of the Kiskatinaw Plateau ecosection and is covered by the boreal white and black spruce biogeoclimatic zone. Vegetation consists predominately of trembling aspen, balsam poplar, white spruce and willows. Swan Lake is the largest water body in the Alberta plateau. The maximum depth is 7.6 metres and the mean depth is 3.1 metres.
•Wildlife:The occasional moose and white tail or mule deer may pass through the park. However, black bears do frequent the area. Muskrat and beaver can be seen around the lakeshore and the Tupper River which drains into the lake through the park. If you are interested in bird watching, an abundance of waterfowl and migratory bird populations congregate at Swan Lake. An example of birds that frequent Swan Lake include common loon, red-necked grebe, western grebe, trumpeter swan, American widgeon, sandpipers, bufflehead, coot, gulls, eastern kingbird, warblers, blackbirds, killdeer, hooded merganser, red-eyed and warbling vireo, hermit thrush, swallows, yellowlegs, scoters, lesser scaup and goldeneyes, just to name a few. Swan Lake is popular with local anglers. Sport fish include walleye, northern pike, yellow perch and burbot. Northern pike spawn in the spring among lakeshore weeds. Yellow perch, which have been stocked, are also weed spawners, but spawn later in spring. The lake is too shallow and too warm to support cold water salmonid species such as trout and char.
Questions campers ask
Is Swan Lake Provincial Park sold out this weekend?
Availability is unverified. Missing or stale observations do not mean sold out. Check the official reservation service.
When do Swan Lake Provincial Park reservations open?
New dates open 3 months ahead at 7 a.m. PT. Online bookings close 2 days before arrival.
Does Swan Lake Provincial Park have electrical sites?
No electrical sites are listed at Swan Lake Provincial Park in the BC Parks site attributes.
Can I book Swan Lake Provincial Park same-day?
Not online — BC Parks takes reservations 2+ days ahead; some parks keep first-come, first-served sites for walk-ups.
How far is Swan Lake Provincial Park from Fort St. John?
about 1 h 30 min from Fort St. John, about 3 h 45 min from Prince George — a straight-line estimate, not a routed drive time.
Swan Lake Provincial Park on BC Parks · Official reservations · BC Wildfire map · See all sites on BC Parks →
New dates open 3 months ahead at 7 a.m. PT. Set an alert to hear about openings.