Nimpo Lake is a
freshwater lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
in the
Chilcotin District
The Chilcotin () region of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lee of the Co ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It is located 300 kilometres (185 miles) west of Williams Lake on the Chilcotin Highway (Hwy 20) and is approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of
Bella Coola. The lake is over 11 kilometres (7 miles) long with several protected bays and has an area of
9.88 km2.
Floatplanes
Nimpo Lake is often referred to as "The Floatplane Capital of British Columbia" and, because it has so many
floatplanes landing and taking off, each of the bays or 'arms' have a distinctive name. North Arm is at the extreme northernmost end of the Main Arm of Nimpo Lake while the South Arm is at the other end and the Short Arm is on the eastern side of the lake where a floatplane base is located.
Fishing
Nimpo Lake has a good population of wild Rainbow Trout that are known for their excellent fighting ability and are caught by trolling and on a flyline. Its popularity with
anglers fishing for
rainbow trout, made it the venue of the 1993 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships. It is a popular tourist destination, with several resorts located on the lake offering a variation of accommodation ranging from luxurious suites to rustic cabins and sites for
Recreational vehicles.
Leisure activities
Nimpo Lake is the jumping off point to the wilderness, much of it inaccessible to people except by floatplane or on foot. You can go flightseeing over
Hunlen Falls
Hunlen Falls is a waterfall located at the mouth of Turner Lake in the Pacific Ranges of British Columbia, Canada. With an estimated height of , it is tied with Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park for having the fourth tallest single drop of an ...
, the third longest freefalling waterfall in Canada, or fly over the multicolored
Rainbow Mountains or
Monarch Mountain and see the pristine icefields. There is canoeing on the Turner Lake Chain in nearby
Tweedsmuir Park, and a number of activities available to visitors of the area. These include fishing, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, hunting, wildlife photography and study of rare and unusual alpine plants at higher elevations. In winter snowmobiling, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating are popular activities.
References
Lakes of the Chilcotin
Lakes of British Columbia
Range 3 Coast Land District
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