Champion Lakes Provincial Park
The Champions of Beaver Valley
(as appeared in BC Outdoors)
If you find yourself traveling along Highway 3B, chances are you are probably lost and desperately scanning a map looking for the way back to Hwy 3 and the road west to Vancouver or east to Calgary. You probably took a wrong turn in Trail or possibly at Salmo; in any event, you zigged when you should have zagged. You are now in the deep south, the deep south of the West Kootenay that is, only a stones throw from the US border, but seemingly trapped in some innocuous, unknown nether world, on a spur of highway tangled up among the other Highway 3s that connect the cities of Rossland, Trail, Castlegar and Nelson.
Traveling east, Highway 3B branches off Highway 3 at Nancy Green Lake 30 km west of Castlegar, and plummets 28 km to the city of Rossland, and drops another 10 km further into Trail, where it splits into Highways 3A north to Castlegar and 3B east to join up again with Highway 3. This last section of highway 3B takes you up through the communities of Montrose, Beaver Falls and Fruitvale, collectively known as Beaver Valley.
Beaver Valley is a narrow, winding valley sloped with orchards and pastures surrounded by forested hills whose hidden lakes and pristine streams boil with trout. The people who live here are a mix of loggers, farmers, construction, sawmill and smelter workers, with collars so blue and necks so red some make teamsters look like schoolgirls.
The irony is that despite cutting down trees or building dams for a living, they are also concerned conservationists, avid outdoors-men-and-women, hunters and fishers. They try to protect their own backyard, so you can’t blame them when they get a little possessive, occasionally give out misleading directions or contrary advice to wayward travellers. They want to keep the area secret, free from avarice and the burden of commercialism. I don’t blame them – so do I.
Champion Lakes Provincial Park:
If you do find yourself on Highway 3B, by luck or design, take a little detour and check out Champion Lakes Provincial Park. The park can be found by turning off Hwy 3B onto Champion Lake Road 6km east of Fruitvale or 8km west of the junction with Hwy 3. A paved road takes you 12 km to the park entrance and into a unique wilderness habitat.
Champion Lakes Provincial Park covers 1426 hectares of diverse old growth forest and march marsh habitat, at an elevation of 1045 metres in the south Selkirk Mountains. A series of three lakes highlight the park, which, in a fit of inspiration, were respectively named First Champion Lake, Second Champion Lake, and Third Champion Lake. In the 30’s and 40’s the local rod and gun club stocked the lakes and improved trails for recreational access. In 1955 the park was established and named after local settler and orchardist, James W. Champion. Contrary to what you may expect, the very first lake you arrive at is not called First Champion Lake; it is Third Champion Lake, the furthest one (that is only accessible by trail) is First Champion Lake and the middle one is reasonably dubbed Second Champion Lake.
Third Champion Lake:
Third Lake covers an area of 12.2 ha and is the most popular with families, swimmers, and sunbathers. One kilometre past the park gate entrance, a large parking lot opens up to Main Beach on the southeast side of the lake. The beach has an extensive day-use picnic area with 30 tables set 25 m back from the water’s edge. A toilet/changing house, an enclosed shelter with heater, two pit toilets, water tap and group picnic area are located nearby. The 200m long beach has a small buoyed wading and swimming area with a large wharf.
At the northwest end of Third Lake is Camper’s Beach. Access to this beach is a drive through the campground along Lake Road on the north side of the lake or a short hike along the south side trail. There is a small parking lot with access across a bridge to the beach and a large grassy area. The beach also has an adventure playground, complete with slide, monkey bars, and swing. Six picnic tables, two pit toilets and a water tap are also provided.
The campground is located between Second and Third Champion Lakes and has 95 vehicle accessible sites, 13 of which are doubles. They are not pull through sites but they have a mix of small and large sites that can accommodate recreational vehicles. Ten sites with tent pads are nestled in shaded groves of trees. You will also find a boat launch on the north side of the lake but all lakes restrict the use of powerboats of any kind. The campground has flush toilets, and tap water available for cooking and drinking. A sani-station and firewood are provided for a nominal fee during the open season. Although the park remains open during the off-season, amenities such as water, firewood and sani-station are not available at this time.
Second Champion Lake:
The 11.2-ha Second Lake can be reached by a variety of trails from the campground or a short drive past the campground on a rough dirt road to the boat launch at the north end of the lake. The lake is shaped like a distorted figure eight, the two halves joined by a shallow 10m long channel. 3000 rainbow trout are stocked annually in each of the lakes; however, Second Lake consistently produces the larger trout and yet receives relatively little fishing pressure. Despite its proximity to the campground, the lake is shrouded in dense forest creating a buffer against the commotion of campers and their toys. Whenever I fish Second Champion Lake, I’m always pleasantly surprised to be the only one on the water; in virtual solitude even though, 100 m through the bush, the campground is packed with campers.
First Champion Lake:
From the boat launch at Second Champion Lake, a 1.2 km trail will take you to the south end of First Champion Lake. The trail leads through the moist interior cedar-hemlock biogeoclimatic zone, which supports a unique variety of plants: Tiger lily, dwarf dogwood, lupine and Indian paintbrush mingle in some profusion. A unique forest habitat of yellow pine, cedar, hemlock, larch and fir, is interrupted by a succession of marsh areas. A well-maintained system of trails and bridges take you through the forest, across these marshes to First Lake. The trail continues along the east shore to the end of the lake where another trail joins and cuts back up into the forest and provides a shorter route back to Second Lake parking lot.
The park also supports diverse wildlife and encountering moose, deer, and bear is the norm rather than the exception. Also a variety of birds may be observed at any given time of year from the great blue heron, to the pesky loons, as well as nighthawks, woodpeckers, Canada jays, grouse of every kind, belted kingfishers, western tanagers, Oregon junkos, Canada geese, mallards, owls and widgeons.
The Fly Fishing:
Third Champion Lake is much deeper than the other two, (25 m) which may explain why it gives up small but plentiful trout. It has the best access and is a great lake to take the kids fishing. First and Second Lakes offer the best fishing amidst a pristine setting. They are shallow lakes (max. depth of 11m), oxygen rich and loaded with phytoplankton and invertebrate trout food. Chironomids, leeches, dragon and damselfly
nymphs, mayflies, water boatmen, and shrimp are all abundant. Late May and June are the best times to fish chironomids. I pack my float tube in and on occasion my canoe. Often I use a leader as long as 20 feet at drop offs, fishing copper to green colour chironomids, sizes 10-14. I catch many fish in the 16-18 inch range, and the odd one over 20 inches, but the average trout ranges between 12 and 16 inches.
Hiking into First Champion Lake the first week in June has turned into an annual pilgrimage. For deep in the forest, at a very special place, I find myself adrift in my float tube in twelve feet of water, casting to incredibly voracious trout. One memorable day, after great success fishing nymphs and chironomids, I decided to go dry. I tied on a #14-Tom Thumb, dropped it onto the water in front of me, and just as I was about to lift the fly off the water and cast, a sixteen inch rainbow shot up between my fins and inhaled the little fly.
As the summer progresses, I concentrate my efforts on Second Champion Lake. I cast or troll dragon and damselfly nymphs on a sink-tip line behind my canoe or float tube. These very often elicit violent hits and produce large trout.
Be aware of the hatches. Mayfly nymphs can be especially productive in late morning and early evening hatches. As the hatch evolves switch to mayfly emergers and dry fly patterns. For emerger patterns I use a sink-tip line with a dry dun imitation tied to the tippet. The sinking tip will bring the fly a foot or two below the surface and, with a moderate retrieve, will give the fly a life-like emerging appearance.
Fall fishing can be good using a combination of the techniques just mentioned. It is a great time to go camping and fishing as the park is usually empty and the brilliant fall colours provide a wonderful backdrop. Small #16 chironomids seem to work best, or troll leech patterns and olive or black woolly buggers on your sinking line with a 3-4 foot leader.
Trails:
Over 6.5 km of hiking trails connect the three lakes and circle the first two. As primary development has been reserved for the Third Champion Lake, First and Second Champion Lake remain in their natural state. It is important to stay on the paths in order to protect unique plants and soil structure. Lookout Trail is a short 3 km roundtrip trail that takes you to a serene panoramic view of the lakes and surrounding landscape. A sign marks the trailhead approximately ½ km past Third Lake.
Ac
cess to the park is limited during winter months, as the road is not maintained and cleared of snow until mid-late May. The local cross-country ski club maintains 7 km of ski trails in and around the park throughout the winter. The cabin on the Third Champion Lake is a favourite destination. Wood is provided to burn in the cabin’s wood stove and after an exhilarating ski into the cabin and some ice fishing you can warm yourself by the fire and heat up your favourite drink.
Whether basking on a sun-drenched beach, hiking, biking, or skiing the many trails in the shade of towering old growth forest, photographing its unique wildlife, canoeing its placid waters or casting a fly to eager trout, Champion Lakes Provincial Park offers a range of activities and outdoor pursuits perfectly suited for the whole family. So if you find yourself aimlessly driving down Hwy 3B, take a short detour to Champion Lake Provincial Park. I guarantee you will find a gratifying wilderness experience, only a heartbeat off the beaten track.
