Let's tour...			...Lakes District campsites
			by Diana Roberts

Summer in the Beautiful Lakes District means camping, fishing, swimming and water-skiing. One of the most gorgeous places to go is Francois Lake, south of Burns Lake. (about 15 minutes drive on highway 35) I recently ventured around the west end of Francois Lake and visited the campsites between the ferry landing and Francois Lake extension.

use BACK button to return Francois Lake campsite click to see map

Each campsite I visited was a B.C. Forest Service Recreation site. Campers must get a camping pass to stay at these sites. For those people who do a lot of camping the fee is $28.00 for the year, or just $8.00 per night if you don't camp a lot. The posted notice said you were allowed six people and one vehicle per site (unless the vehicle is being towed). The first campsite I stopped at was on the south side of the lake. It was just 3.5 km. from the bridge crossing over Nadina River, at the head of Francois Lake. This Recreation site is about a 1/4 km down a single lane, dirt road. This campsite was empty, though it was a Saturday afternoon. There are three camping sites here, in a large, gravel area. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table.

I brought my kids along to test the beaches and swim areas. At this campsite, the beach was rocky, with 10-12 feet of shallow water before a drop-off. Francois Lake water is known for being cold, but the water here was really quite warm, probably because it was at the end of the lake. The kids swam out and really enjoyed themselves, even my six-year-old didn't want to come out of the water. The campsite is located in a bay which would make it ideal for canoeing. There is a boat launching area here, but you would need 4-wheel drive to use it. The outhouse was clean and stocked with tissue. There was no cut firewood at this campsite, so you'd have to bring your own. This is definitely a campsite worth spending time at.