B/L Parks Contracting operates six provincial parks / campgrounds under a long term agreement with BC Parks. The parks are located within the Merritt, Lytton, Lillooet and Cache Creek areas of south central British Columbia.

The region, often described as the southern interior “dry belt” of British Columbia, offers a variety of eco-systems from arid desert landscapes to breath-taking river canyons and glacier created lakes. Summer showers rarely make their way east of the Coast Mountains into our parks and the camping season consists of weeks of hot dry weather for your recreational pleasure. Adventures range from rock climbing and scuba diving in Marble Canyon Provincial Park; white-water rafting and kayaking at Goldpan; windsurfing at Monck Park; hiking a portion of the Gold Rush Trail at Skihist; and world class fishing – Steelhead at Juniper Beach and Pennask Rainbow Trout at Kentucky Alleyne Lakes.

We have designed a “Circle Tour” so you can visit each of the parks and sample their unique characters - use the map from the FAQs & Map page.  The Tour can be started at:

            Skihist from Vancouver / Lower Mainland

            Kentucky Alleyne from Princeton / Okanagan

            Juniper Beach from Kamloops / Cariboo

            Marble Canyon from Whistler / Vancouver / Cariboo

            Monck from Kamloops / Merritt

From the west, our Tour begins at Lytton which is only 108 kilometers (67 miles) from Hope. This small village is known as Canada’s Hot Spot and is named after Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton - the author of “It was a dark and stormy night”. Skihist Provincial Park is located six kilometers north on the TransCanada Highway and offers 58 quiet and peaceful campsites which have level sites for large camping units as well as walk-in sites for tenting.You will always be able to find a campsite at Skihist Park.

Camped at Skihist, you can spend days sampling the local history and natural environment with outstanding wildlife viewing opportunities. There are 8 km (5 miles) of hiking trails within the park which include those to three lookouts: Stein Mountain, Gladwin Bluffs and Goat Bluffs as well as part of the gold rush “Cariboo Waggon Road”. This is an excellent base camp for day trips to the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, Botanie Creek or river rafting tours. 

Carry on 18 kilometers (11 miles) north on the TransCanada through the Thompson River Canyon to small, 14 campsite Goldpan Provincial Park for a couple of nights stay (caution: limited turning space for large rigs at each end of the park – walk first to ensure you have room). Located on the banks of the Thompson River just 10 km (6 miles) south of Spences’ Bridge, Goldpan is set between two rail lines and is a wonderful viewing area for train buffs. If actually getting into a river raft is a bit too exciting for you, you can enjoy watching them as they float past the park. Some of the local rafting companies use Goldpan Park as a lunch and rest stop. There is good fishing here and if you are lucky, you may see the bighorn mountain sheep on the far banks across the river.  

Continuing north on the TransCanada take the cutoff for Highway 8 at Spences’ Bridge. This spectacular road winds along the Nicola River for 65 km (41 miles) to the village of Lower Nicola and on in to Merritt – the Country Music Capital of Canada. At Merritt take the Okanagan Connector (Highway 97C) to Aspen Grove to visit Kentucky Alleyne Provincial Park (about 40 km or 24 miles) for a few days of fishing and relaxation. 

The park has a large group camping area on the north shore of Alleyne Lake, 11 campsites on the south shore and 47 sites between the West Pond and Kentucky Lake. 

The campground is rarely full and the staff will always find a site to accommodate you. There are boat launches (motors limited to10 hp) on both lakes and “children only” fishing allowed on East and West Pond. 

It’s not hard to visualize yourself camped on a tropical island when viewing Kentucky Lake with its white-blue waters. The lake was once part of a great inland sea and if you magnify the “white stuff” from the lake bed you will find lots of small sea shells embedded in it. Wildflowers grow in abundance here and help contribute to the many species of butterflies, birds and other wildlife found in the area. One of our park visitors won the Wildlife category in the 2004 CPAWS / BC Parks Photo Contest with a picture taken from his campsite.  

Upon leaving Kentucky Alleyne Park, stop in Merritt to re-stock your cooler and then head north 10 km (6 miles) on the old Merritt-Kamloops Highway 5A to Monck Park Road. Turn left and all of a sudden you’re in ranching country – look for the cowboys from Nicola Ranch on horseback driving a cattle herd. The park gates are 12 picturesque km (7 miles) further on.

Monck Park and Nicola Lake rival Okanagan Lake for beauty and great summer weather but without the crowds. Windsurfing and sailing are popular as rarely a day goes by that the wind doesn’t blow – very welcome when the temperatures are in the high 30’s (Celsius, that is – around 95 F). This is a wonderful family campground with a large grassed day use suitable for games of frisbee, volleyball, lawn bowling, horseshoes, or just laying back and stargazing on a clear night, a swimming beach, playground, sheltered picnic tables with barbeques, boat launch, hiking trails, geologically interesting lava beds, and First Nations archeological sites. The campground accepts reservations (www.discovercamping.ca) but also has first-come, first-served campsites. Stay for a day or two weeks.

Leaving Monck Park, turn left on Highway 5A to follow this scenic drive to Kamloops (about 70 km, aka 45 miles). You will pass the historic Quilchena Hotel and Resort, travel through segments of Douglas Lake Ranch - Canada’s largest working cattle ranch, and skirt several roadside lakes. 

In Kamloops you will connect to the TransCanada Highway – head west 65 km (40 miles) to Juniper Beach Provincial Park halfway between Savona and Cache Creek.

Affectionately referred to as an “oasis” in the midst of sagebrush and cacti, Juniper Beach customers return year after year. Set among Cottonwood and Juniper (what else?) trees, the campground is nestled on a small beach with a large, natural swimming pond. Peculiar to Juniper Beach among Provincial Parks, the campsites have 30 amp electrical hook-ups and water connections for your RV.  Tenters will enjoy pitching their tents on a soft, grassy communal area with a sink and running water, firepits and picnic tables.  There are also hot showers located in the park.

Popular activities include bird watching, fishing, whitewater kayaking, train-spotting, exploring the nearby Deadman River hoodoos and other fantastic desert landscapes, golfing in Cache Creek and touring historic Ashcroft where small orchards and market gardens flourish.

Marble Canyon is the next stop on our Circle Tour. Follow Highway 97 north out of Cache Creek 14 km (8 miles) to the Hat Creek Ranch turnoff.  Marble Canyon is 26 km (16 miles) west on Highway 99. If you are approaching at sunset (or sunrise), have your camera ready as the rose coloured limestone cliffs north of the campground will delight you. The park encompasses a 30 site campground located on Turquoise and Crown Lakes and Pavilion Lake just up the road. Follow the hiking trail to the waterfall – an easy 1 km each way - at the top (west end) of Crown Lake. To rock climbers, Marble Canyon is a relatively undiscovered treasure. A maze of canyons runs off the main canyon across the highway from the campground and Pavilion Lake. Pavilion Lake is just 5 km (3 miles) west of the campground and is one of only a few places in the world where the unique and sensitive freshwater stromatolite can be found. These are coral-like structures formed from fossilized remains of micro-organisms. The theory is that the search for life on other planets (Mars?) would focus on finding similar fossilized remains. Scuba diving is popular here as well as trout fishing in all three lakes, swimming, hiking, and wildlife viewing - bears are often spotted across from the campground at Crown and fishing in Turquoise Lake.

Upon leaving Marble Canyon, continue west for 40 km (24 miles) on Highway 99 to historic Lillooet where you can follow either Highway 12 winding 66 awe-inspiring km (40 miles) along-side the Fraser River to Lytton and Skihist Park or the Duffy Lake Road to Pemberton and on to Whistler and Vancouver.

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* Photos courtesy of BC Parks