BC Recreation Sites · British Columbia
Cartwright Lake
BC Recreation Sites · British Columbia, Canada
- Sites
- 18
- Hookups
- 18 no hookups
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Elevation
- 3,848 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Nearest town
- Invermere
- Activities
- Angling, Boating, Camping
About
The most popular and largest of the 'Cartwright Lakes'. The lake is over one kilometre long with a shoreline of mature pine and fir. It's deep and cold, but swimming is possible. There are two main campsites - Cartwright West and Cartwright North. Both are busy throughout the summer camping season. Check for altered fishing regulations.
Road access. Facilities on file: boat launch, toilets, picnic tables, dock, fire rings. First come, first served.
Getting there: Car accessible, about 24 kilometres west of Brisco (Highway 95). Drive west on Bugaboo Forest Service Road and turn south at km 1.5 onto Leadqueen Forest Service Road for 6 kilometres. Alternate Route: 55 kilometres north of Invermere via Westside and Leadqueen road. Turn west at km 41.5 junction. Use caution due to logging truck traffic. Note: Separate roads access the north and west campsites. Boat engine power restriction of 7 kW.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 16° | -27° | 35° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 27° | 14° | -17° | 40° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 38° | 23° | -6° | 55° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 43° | 31° | 10° | 61° | 10 of 11 |
| May | 54° | 37° | 29° | 74° | 5 of 11 |
| June | 64° | 45° | 35° | 77° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 74° | 54° | 42° | 87° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 74° | 54° | 42° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 63° | 47° | 36° | 78° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 44° | 32° | 16° | 63° | 7 of 10 |
| November | 33° | 18° | -8° | 48° | 10 of 10 |
| December | 23° | 12° | -26° | 37° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Cleland Lake · BC Recreation Sites · 2 mi · 5 sites
- Jade Lake · BC Recreation Sites · 2 mi · 1 sites
- Cub Lake · BC Recreation Sites · 3 mi · 1 sites
- Bigfish (Dunbar) Lake · BC Recreation Sites · 3 mi · 4 sites
- Botts Lake · BC Recreation Sites · 3 mi · 1 sites
All public campgrounds in British Columbia · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-09-10. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.