Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

MU 8-1, Okanagan
49.2086° N, 119.6142° W

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: 14.3ha
Maximum depth: 11m; 36 ft
Elevation: 728m
Campsites: 9; At Burnell Lake rec site

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

Trophy fish at Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 8.2 lb.

Rainbow trout to 8.2 lb

Trophy sizes this lake is known for, not a typical catch. They are historical records from our own big fish list, with no date on file, not recent catches.

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake at a glance

Region: Okanagan
Management unit: MU 8-1
Species: Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch (last recorded 1986), Pumpkinseed (last recorded 1986)The newest of these fish records is from 2026.Species from the province's fish observation records.
Lake size: Small Water (< 50 ha)
Ice fishing: Closed to ice fishing
Coordinates: 49.2086, -119.6142

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Gear for rainbow trout

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Fish on record at Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
Species	First recorded	Last recorded	Records
Rainbow Trout	1952	2026	174
Yellow Perch	1985	1986	3
Pumpkinseed	1979	1986	4

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

How to fish Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

Best times of year at Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

May - June
September - October

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake fishing regulations

No Ice Fishing; Trout/char catch and release; Artificial fly only, bait ban, single barbless hook; WARNING! Dangerous thin ice due to aeration! Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

10.5 km of traced road to the campground by way of Sawmill Lake FSR, Willowbrook Rd and Secrest Hill Rd. The road at the end is a rough surface. It stops 80 m short of the campground.

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: 49.2086, -119.6142

Camping and rec sites at Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

Burnell Lake
Campsites
9 designated
To the shore
45 m

Access: Off Hwy 97, turn west onto Fairview Road. Follow for 4.2km and turn north onto Willowbrook Road. Follow Willowbrook for 3.9kms and turn left onto Sawmill Burnell Lake gravel road. Drive 4km up the hill to the lake. Road is dusty and rough with blind corners. Use caution.
Coordinates: 49.2087, -119.618561
The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

Depth chart for Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

11 mdeepest3.6 mmean

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake runs to 11 m (36 ft) at its deepest.

The Province sounded Burnell (Sawmill) Lake and published the depth chart. It runs to 2 sheets.

The ice year at Burnell (Sawmill) Lake, modelled

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

In the model Burnell (Sawmill) Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 15 November and 1 December, and ice-off between 21 March and 10 April. The median winter freezes on 24 November and opens on 1 April.

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

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 26 November 2024 to 24 March 2025, 118 days.

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake is closed to ice fishing.

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.

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Burnell (Sawmill) Lake is 1.3 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

+1.3 Csince the 1960s
9.2 Caverage year now
8.0 Caverage year then
-15 daysbelow freezing, change

Average year at Burnell (Sawmill) Lakedegrees C, yearly mean

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Burnell (Sawmill) 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.

Day	Sky	High / low	Wind	Rain	Pressure
Tue 20 Oct	Partly cloudy	13° / 5°	22 km/h, gusts 34	dry	Steady
Wed 21 Oct	Overcast	17° / 8°	20 km/h, gusts 28	dry	Falling (-5.6 hPa)
Thu 22 Oct	Overcast	18° / 5°	18 km/h, gusts 23	dry	Falling (-3.6 hPa)
Fri 23 Oct	Overcast	12° / 2°	19 km/h, gusts 39	dry	Rising (+11.4 hPa)
Sat 24 Oct	Overcast	11° / -1°	12 km/h, gusts 23	dry	Rising (+7.6 hPa)
Sun 25 Oct	Overcast	9° / -1°	11 km/h, gusts 19	dry	Rising (+2.3 hPa)
Mon 26 Oct	Mainly clear	10° / -2°	7 km/h	dry	Steady

Open Burnell (Sawmill) Lake in the app

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake, in brief

What fish are in Burnell (Sawmill) Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch (last recorded 1986). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Burnell (Sawmill) Lake in?

Burnell (Sawmill) Lake is in MU 8-1, in the Okanagan. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Burnell (Sawmill) Lake

Madden Lake 3 km away
Ripley Lake 4 km away
Tugulnuit (Tuc-el-nuit) Lake 5 km away
Gallagher Lake 8 km away
Mahoney Lake 9 km away

All 212 lakes in the Okanagan, with today's conditions on each.