Chimney Lake

MU 5-2, Cariboo
51.9171° N, 121.9642° 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: 427.9ha
Maximum depth: 19.5m; 64 ft. Province survey, 1968
Elevation: 875m
Campsites: 25; At Chimney Lake North rec site

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

Trophy fish at Chimney Lake

Chimney Lake is known for trophy Lake trout to 12 lb.

Rainbow trout to 6 lb
Lake trout to 12 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.

Chimney Lake at a glance

Region: Cariboo
Management unit: MU 5-2
Species: Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Burbot (last recorded 1961), Lake Chub (last recorded 1961), Redside Shiner (last recorded 1961), Sucker (General) (last recorded 1961), Largescale Sucker (last recorded 1952), Longnose Sucker (last recorded 1952)The province's newest fish record here is from 2026.Species from the province's fish observation records and angling reports.
Lake size: Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
Coordinates: 51.917053, -121.964227

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Fish on record at Chimney Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
Species	First recorded	Last recorded	Records
Rainbow Trout	1947	2026	166
Kokanee	2008	2026	26
Burbot	1952	1961	2
Lake Chub	1952	1961	2
Redside Shiner	1952	1961	2
Sucker (General)	1961	1961	1
Largescale Sucker	1952	1952	1
Longnose Sucker	1952	1952	1

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

Chimney Lake fishing regulations

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

Getting to Chimney Lake

21.0 km of traced road to the campground by way of Chimney Lake Rd, Chimney Lake FSR and Enterprise Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface.

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: 51.917053, -121.964227

Camping and rec sites at Chimney Lake

Chimney Lake North
Campsites
25 designated
To the shore
124 m

Access: From Williams Lake take Hwy 20 West, turn South on Dog Creek Road for 7km, East onto Chimney Valley Road for 20km
Coordinates: 51.928188, -121.976519
The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC
Chimney Lake Centre
Campsites
11 designated
To the shore
14 m

Coordinates: 51.918348, -121.952649

Depth chart for Chimney Lake

19.5 mdeepest8.7 mmean

Chimney Lake runs to 19.5 m (64 ft) at its deepest, by the Province survey, 1968.

The mean of 8.7 m (29 ft) is read off the same chart, surveyed in April 1968.

The Province sounded Chimney Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1968. It runs to 2 sheets.

The ice year at Chimney Lake, modelled

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

In the model Chimney Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 6 November and 18 November, and ice-off between 11 April and 29 April. The median winter freezes on 11 November and opens on 21 April.

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

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 14 November 2024 to 13 April 2025, 150 days.

We have no ice fishing regulation on file for Chimney Lake either way. Check the current BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis before you plan a trip.

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.

Chimney Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Chimney Lake is 0.9 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

+0.9 Csince the 1960s
5.1 Caverage year now
4.3 Caverage year then
-8 daysbelow freezing, change

Average year at Chimney 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 Chimney 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
Wed 21 Oct	Overcast	15° / 1°	12 km/h, gusts 26	dry	Steady
Thu 22 Oct	Slight rain	7° / -1°	15 km/h, gusts 29	0 mm	Rising (+6.0 hPa)
Fri 23 Oct	Overcast	6° / -2°	12 km/h, gusts 29	dry	Rising (+11.1 hPa)
Sat 24 Oct	Overcast	8° / 0°	10 km/h, gusts 44	dry	Falling (-4.3 hPa)
Sun 25 Oct	Overcast	7° / 0°	5 km/h, gusts 34	dry	Rising (+3.7 hPa)
Mon 26 Oct	Overcast	8° / -1°	8 km/h, gusts 17	dry	Falling (-4.9 hPa)
Tue 27 Oct	Overcast	8° / -1°	10 km/h	dry	Rising (+2.2 hPa)

Open Chimney Lake in the app

Chimney Lake, in brief

What fish are in Chimney Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Burbot (last recorded 1961). Species from the province's fish observation records and angling reports.

How big is Chimney Lake?

Chimney Lake covers about 427.9 ha, by the province's Freshwater Atlas.

Which management unit is Chimney Lake in?

Chimney Lake is in MU 5-2, in the Cariboo. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Chimney Lake

Felker Lake 5 km away
Bobtail (Naltesby) Lake 12 km away
Brunson Lake 14 km away
Jones Lake 19 km away
Maze Lake 19 km away

All 328 lakes in the Cariboo, with today's conditions on each.