Nearly 2 years after wildfire, Okanagan provincial park will partially reopen in June

In August 2022, the 46,500-hectare Crater Creek wildfire ripped through Cathedral Park in the South Okanagan.

The fire caused significant damage to several trails and destroyed a pair of backcountry campgrounds – Lake of the Woods and Pyramid – within the provincial park near Keremeos.

Restoration work has been underway since and the Ministry of Environment and Parks announced today that Cathedral Park will partially reopen for hiking and backcountry camping next month.

A release from the Province says the partial reopening will happen on Friday, June 20, and reservations have been added online for the popular Quiniscoe Lake backcountry campground.

Only accessible by hiking the 14 km Lakeview Trail or 20 km Centennial Trail, the Quiniscoe Lake campground has 30 reservable tent pads that offer access to lakes in the core area of the provincial park.

Reservations for the Quiniscoe Lake campground will open at 7 am on Tuesday, June 3.

Also opening on June 20, will be the vehicle-accessible Buckhorn and Lakeview campgrounds, which are first come first serve and do not need reservations.

According to the Province, the Scout Lake, Diamond, Glacier Lake, Ladyslipper and Rim trails will all reopen on June 20 as well.

“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,” the Ministry of Environment and Parks release explains.

“To ensure public safety, some trails in the park that were adversely affected by the fire will remain closed as restoration work continues.”

Located southwest of Keremeos, Cathedral Park is an approximately 33,000-hectare wilderness area between the Cascade Mountains and Okanagan Valley.