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Box Lake

MU 4-31, Kootenays
50.2094° N, 117.7167° W

Map of Box Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas, the traced road in and the recreation site.117°44.5′W117°44′W117°43.5′W117°43′W117°42.5′W50°12.2′N50°12.5′N50°12.8′NBox LakeBox Lake rec site31 campsites, 28 m to shore0250500 mNMap of Box Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas, the traced road in and the recreation site.117°43′W50°12′N50°12.5′N50°13′NBox LakeBox Lake rec site31 campsites, 28 m to shore0500 mN
WaterTraced road inRoadRough surface roadRec siteShoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, roads from the BC Digital Road Atlas, under the Open Government Licence, British Columbia. Rec site position from BC Recreation Sites and Trails, checked 11 September 2026. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.
Surface area
71.8ha
Maximum depth
7.3m
24 ft
Elevation
585m
Campsites
31
At Box Lake rec site

Open Box Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.

Box Lake at a glance

Region
Kootenays
Management unit
MU 4-31
Species
Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Burbot (last recorded 1969), Floater Mussel (General), Redside Shiner (last recorded 1969), Sucker (General) (last recorded 1969), Largescale Sucker (last recorded 1959)The newest of these fish records is from 2026.Species from the province's fish observation records.
Lake size
Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
Ice fishing
Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates
50.2094, -117.7167

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Fish on record at Box Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Rainbow Trout1922201588
Brook Trout200420041
Kokanee2017202610
Burbot195919692
Floater Mussel (General)200820081
Redside Shiner195919692
Sucker (General)196919691
Largescale Sucker195919591

A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.

How to fish Box Lake

Best times of year at Box Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

Box Lake fishing regulations

We have no lake specific regulations on file for Box Lake yet.

Getting to Box Lake

2.5 km of traced road to the campground by way of Box Lake FSR. The road at the end is a rough surface. It stops 150 m short of the campground.

The road route traced to Campground at Box Lake, 2.5 km.Start of the traceCampground500 m
The route traced over the BC Digital Road Atlas. A trace is a line on a map, not a report on the road: check conditions before you drive it.

Coordinates: 50.2094, -117.7167

Camping and rec sites at Box Lake

  • Box Lake
    Campsites
    31 designated
    To the shore
    28 m

    Access: From the junction of Highway 6 and 23 in Nakusp, travel east on Highway 6 towards New Denver for 10 km. About 2.5 km before the Box Lake turn off, you will begin to get views of the lake from the highway. At 10 km, look for a brown 4x4 post with white lettering, signed "Box Lake" on your right. Turn off Highway 6 at this sign, onto a good 2 wheel drive dirt road. Proceed 1.9 km to a sharp right turn, which will take you into the recreation site.
    Coordinates: 50.207498, -117.717497

    The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

Depth chart for Box Lake

7.3 mdeepest

Box Lake runs to 7.3 m (24 ft) at its deepest.

The Province sounded Box Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1977.

The ice year at Box Lake, modelled

Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.

In the model Box Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 19 November and 13 December, and ice-off between 13 March and 5 April. The median winter freezes on 28 November and opens on 25 March.

Modelled ice season at Box Lake: freeze-up most winters between 19 November and 13 December, ice-off between 13 March and 5 April.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-offabout 117 days in the median winter

the middle half of modelled winters the median ice cover in the median winter

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 16 January 2025 to 4 March 2025, 47 days.

Box Lake is open to ice fishing under the regulations on file.

Whether a lake is open to ice fishing says nothing about whether its ice will hold you. Ice conditions vary year to year and across a single lake. Check locally before going out, every time.

Box Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Box Lake is 1.1 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +1.1 Csince the 1960s
  • 6.8 Caverage year now
  • 5.6 Caverage year then
  • -13 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Box Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
4 C6 C9 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
54981431960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Box Lake

The forecast on this lake's own coordinate, refreshed through the day. The app reads these seven days for fishing and scores each one.

DaySkyHigh / lowWindRainPressure
Tue 20 OctPartly cloudy12° / 2°7 km/hdrySteady
Wed 21 OctOvercast20° / 9°14 km/hdryFalling (-5.4 hPa)
Thu 22 OctOvercast17° / 5°13 km/hdryFalling (-4.0 hPa)
Fri 23 OctOvercast11° / 2°11 km/hdryRising (+9.2 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast10° / 1°5 km/hdryRising (+10.2 hPa)
Sun 25 OctClear sky10° / 0°6 km/hdryRising (+2.5 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast12° / 0°5 km/hdrySteady

Open Box Lake in the app

Box Lake, in brief

What fish are in Box Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Burbot (last recorded 1969). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Box Lake in?

Box Lake is in MU 4-31, in the Kootenays. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Box Lake

All 162 lakes in the Kootenays, with today's conditions on each.

Reading the water