Camping Trip From Vancouver, Princeton, to Barkerville

[cdub]

Planning a camping trip from the island to start at lower end of province to go through Barkervile and back. i was planning on the first night at Otter lake in the Tulameen and then ? from there. We are still trying to decide on towing the 14' tinny to access the lakes? We have 2 weeks to kill at end of July.
Any ideas would be great, we are going to tent it to keep it light. Our typical camping is fsr sites where we can throw a line in the water or go for a drive to explore.
We want to show our 8yr old the province and to remember it the way it is meant to be seen.

[Iron Glove]

Tulameen seems a bit out of the usual path to Barkerville but hey, sounds like fun. :)
Are you getting to Tulameen via the Coquihalla and the FSR's or the Hope Princeton and up through Princeton and Coalmont?
If camping at the Otter Lake Provincial Camp Grounds, you can fish Otter Lake for rainbow and kokanee right by the Park.
From there it's a short hop on a decent paved and gravel road to Kentucky Alleyne where you could camp and fish and then continue to the Connector and North on the Coq.
If going to FSR sites, the Murphy Lakes site is just off the Coq so no need to go all the way to Tulameen.
Note that the August Long Weekend = a bloody zoo in the area.

[cdub]

Tulameen is out of way but I have hunted there and is beautiful country, and the wife wanted to start southern and take our son to see a gold town. I want to do a loop and not travel same road in as out. Trying to decide if boat is more of a hassle or not.
Cruising up the small lakes is my favorite part of a camping trip.

[ACE]

Gets expensive trailering anything on BC Ferries ... ?

[Big Lew]

One thing to consider, especially when bringing along a youngster, is that fishing in
most of the lower level lakes gets pretty moody and slow during the summer. If you're
going to be using the 14 footer to cruise around on some of the lakes then it could
be useful to bring along, otherwise it might be a pain in the butt.

[cdub]

I also have a 12 footer but the pickup is not as comfy to drive as the FJ. (AC that works more than 2 days between refills)
Its a toss up right now as to trailer or not. The ferries, we will just grin and bare it as thats why we usually just camp the north Island (locked out of mid to south)

[XPEIer]

cdub, I manage all the Rec Sites in Williams Lake and Quesnel, shoot me a pm and I can send you as far into the bush as you wish to go. I would hit Greenee on the way through 100 Mile, stop at Chimney Lake and try for Kokanee, or possibly swing into Till, Fletcher on Hwy 20, then back to the Likely Road, maybe Jacobie to get the kids into tons of smaller fish, Quesnel is a bit tougher, Crescent Lk may get you into some fish, do the Barkerville thing and head down to Likely via Cunningham Pass (the back way), stop at Ghost Lk, camp downstream of the bridge or at the Prov Park at Ghost, zip into Likely across the ditch road (view the Mt Polley breach) camp at Raft Creek or Mitchell bay and spend a day or two on Quesnel Lake, then through Horsefly and East, stopping at either Crooked Lk, Elbow, Bosk, then down the Hendrix back into the Hwy 24 area, through Little Fort and I would zip back through Merritt and take the DUffy back to the coast.

That is off the top of my head.

xpeier

[Salty]

If Princeton is on the menu from there I'd drive north to Merrit and from there take the secondary hwy.. can't remember the name right now but it heads northwest and pops out at Spences bridge. Nice drive and pretty country then you're on 97 and the direct route to Barkerville. Or not, if you want to do another funky route hang a right at Cache cr. and take hwy 5 north of Loops then take hwy 24 I think it is at Little Fort. That takes you through about a bazillion lakes and hooks up with 97 around 100 mile.

[Tīɡ]

If Princeton is on the menu from there I'd drive north to Merrit and from there take the secondary hwy.. can't remember the name right now but it heads northwest and pops out at Spences bridge. Nice drive and pretty country then you're on 97 and the direct route to Barkerville. Or not, if you want to do another funky route hang a right at Cache cr. and take hwy 5 north of Loops then take hwy 24 I think it is at Little Fort. That takes you through about a bazillion lakes and hooks up with 97 around 100 mile.

The secondary hwy that Salty mentions here b/t merritt and spences bridge is Hwy 8, very scenic and definitely worth a look!

[Jagermeister]

Do the Duffy Lake route to Clinton, Lac La Hache, up to Barkerville, then back to 10 Mile Lake up to Pg and then east to McBride (Purden Lake for camping, and some in McBride or Valmount. Down to Wells Grey and then down through Kamloops to merritt, then to Alleyne Lake and tulemeen and finally back home.
Good circle route that exposes a great part of BC

[cdub]

Ended up skipping Tulameen. Took the 24 from Little Fort through to Mahood lake to start. Then to Bosk lake(first lk trout 7lbs), then to Horsefly Prov site for a couple nights to tour around and visit people met during hunting. Off to Barkerville on the back road (Mt Polly disaster) and spent a night at ghost lake then to Barkerville. Spent couple of days then back to Elbow lake then spent a night at Green lake at a cabin (very amusing operation).
Saw some awesome waterfalls and lightening, a few black bears and moose, deer, and loons. Great trip but beat the shit out of my boat trailer.