CANADA, May 29 - Cathedral Park will partially reopen for hiking and backcountry camping in selected areas on Friday, June 20, 2025, providing access to lakes located in the core area.
Reservations have been added to the popular Quiniscoe Lake backcountry campground in the core area of the park, and will be required during the peak camping season from June 27 to Sept. 20, 2025. People can reserve one of the 30 tent pads at the lake starting at 7 a.m. (Pacific time) on Tuesday, June 3, online: https://bcparks.ca/reservations/
Outside of peak season, people will need to register and pay online for camping at Quiniscoe Lake.
Quiniscoe Lake is accessible only by hiking the 14-kilometre Lakeview Trail or the 20-km Centennial (Wall Creek) Trail. Other areas of the park that will open on June 20 include the vehicle-accessible Buckhorn and Lakeview campgrounds, along with five other trails: Scout Lake, Diamond, Glacier Lake, Ladyslipper and the Rim Trails. Reservations are not required for Buckhorn or Lakeview campgrounds.
Located southwest of Keremeos, Cathedral Park is an approximately 33,3000-hectare (82,200 acres) wilderness area between the Cascade Mountains and the Okanagan Valley. The park has been closed since August 2023 due to the Crater Creek wildfire that caused significant damage to several trails and destroyed two other backcountry campgrounds in the core area of the park: Lake of the Woods and Pyramid campgrounds.
The bridge that provided vehicle access to the core area of the park was destroyed by the fire and is scheduled to be replaced this summer. To ensure public safety, some trails in the park that were adversely affected by the fire will remain closed as restoration work continues.
Learn More:
For more information about Cathedral Park and to view what areas are open for hiking and camping, visit:
https://bcparks.ca/cathedral-park/
For more information about backcountry reservations and permits, visit:
https://bcparks.ca/reservations/backcountry-camping/
