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Emerald Lake

MU 5-13, Cariboo
53.1675° N, 122.9367° W

Map of Emerald 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.122°57′W122°56.8′W122°56.5′W122°56.2′W122°56′W53°10′NEmerald LakeTwin Lakes rec site3 campsites, 87 m to shore0100200 mNMap of Emerald 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.122°56.2′W122°56′W53°10′NEmerald LakeTwin Lakes rec site3 campsites, 87 m to shore0200 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 7 September 2026. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.
Surface area
113.2ha
Elevation
861m
Campsites
3
At Twin Lakes rec site

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

Trophy fish at Emerald Lake

Emerald Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 3 lb.

  • Rainbow trout to 3 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.

Emerald Lake at a glance

Region
Cariboo
Management unit
MU 5-13
Species
Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Bull Trout, Brook Trout (last recorded 1968), Lake Chub, Longnose Sucker, Dace (General) (last recorded 1968)
Lake size
Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
Ice fishing
Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates
53.1675, -122.9367

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Fish on record at Emerald Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Brook Trout196819681
Lake Chub199819995
Longnose Sucker196819994
Dace (General)196819681

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

How to fish Emerald Lake

Best times of year at Emerald Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

Emerald Lake fishing regulations

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

Getting to Emerald Lake

25.2 km of traced road to the campground by way of Blackwater Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface. It stops 300 m short of the campground.

The road route traced to Campground at Emerald Lake, 25.2 km.Start of the traceCampground5 km
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: 53.1675, -122.9367

Camping and rec sites at Emerald Lake

  • Twin Lakes
    Campsites
    3 designated
    To the shore
    87 m

    Access: From Quesnel, take the Blackwater Road, for about 35km, access road is on the left
    Coordinates: 53.165793, -122.93505

    The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

The ice year at Emerald Lake, modelled

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

In the model Emerald Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 1 November and 14 November, and ice-off between 18 April and 9 May. The median winter freezes on 7 November and opens on 27 April.

Modelled ice season at Emerald Lake: freeze-up most winters between 1 November and 14 November, ice-off between 18 April and 9 May.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-offabout 173 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 17 November 2024 to 15 April 2025, 149 days.

Emerald 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.

Emerald Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Emerald 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
  • 4.2 Caverage year now
  • 3.1 Caverage year then
  • -10 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Emerald Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
0 C4 C7 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
791261721960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Emerald 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 OctMainly clear10° / -2°16 km/h, gusts 36drySteady
Wed 21 OctOvercast10° / 2°15 km/h, gusts 30dryFalling (-9.1 hPa)
Thu 22 OctLight drizzle7° / 0°13 km/h, gusts 321 mmRising (+5.4 hPa)
Fri 23 OctOvercast6° / -3°7 km/h, gusts 18dryRising (+11.5 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast6° / -2°8 km/h, gusts 20drySteady
Sun 25 OctClear sky5° / -4°9 km/h, gusts 21dryRising (+5.9 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast5° / -4°8 km/h, gusts 18dryFalling (-3.7 hPa)

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Trout lakes near Emerald Lake

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

Reading the water