Big Bar Lake is located at the north end of the Marble Range on the southwest corner of the Cariboo.   the easiest access is to follow the Big Bar Road which leaves Highway 97 eight km north of Clinton.   The 34 km road road is a good gravel road passing through rolling forested hills.   The best access is from Big Bar Lake Provincial Park (where we camped), using the boat launch at the west end of the lake.

We paddled Big Bar Lake twice.   The first time was a paddle around the whole lake, a 10 km loop taking about 2.3 hours.

There are a few older, abandoned farm buildings on the northeast end of the lake.   Above us, on the south side the peaks of the Marble Range had a fresh mantle of snow.

old homesteads	the Marble Range to the south
loons on the lake	a stormy night on the lake

 

A second day of paddling was cut short as stormy weather moved in.   We paddled half of the lake, but the last part was slow progress into winds from the west.

Big Bar Lake is one of our favorite spots and so we will return to hike nearby and to paddle more of the lakes of the region.

More information:

• Big Bar Provincial Park
• Marble Range
• Otter Marsh Trail
• Jesmond Lookout