Palmer Lake
MU 5-13, Cariboo
52.3531° N, 123.2528° W
- Surface area
- 201.5ha
- Maximum depth
- 23.2m
- 76 ft
- Elevation
- 1,160m
- Campsites
- 13
- At Palmer Lake rec site
Open Palmer Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.
Palmer Lake at a glance
- Region
- Cariboo
- Management unit
- MU 5-13
- Species
- Rainbow Trout, Lake Chub, Sucker (General), Longnose Sucker (last recorded 1973)The newest of these fish records is from 2025.Species from the province's fish observation records.
- Lake size
- Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
- Ice fishing
- No ice fishing closure on file
- Coordinates
- 52.3531, -123.2528
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Gear for rainbow trout
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Fish on record at Palmer Lake
| Species | First recorded | Last recorded | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Trout | 1970 | 2025 | 82 |
| Lake Chub | 2010 | 2010 | 1 |
| Sucker (General) | 2010 | 2010 | 1 |
| Longnose Sucker | 1973 | 1973 | 1 |
A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.
How to fish Palmer Lake
Best times of year at Palmer Lake
- May - June
- September - October
Palmer Lake fishing regulations
We have no lake specific regulations on file for Palmer Lake yet.
Getting to Palmer Lake
Palmer has a well developed BCFS campsite with boat launching. No trailers because of steep access road.
51.7 km of traced road to the campground by way of Palmer Lake Rec Site FSR, Alex Graham-Georing FSR, Alex Graham-Palmer FSR, Clusko River - Aneko Creek FSR, N Telford Rd and Alexis Creek-Nazko Rd. The road at the end is a rough surface.
Coordinates: 52.3531, -123.2528
Camping and rec sites at Palmer Lake
- Palmer Lake
- Campsites
- 13 designated
- To the shore
- 42 m
Access: From Williams Lake follow Hwy 20 west for approximately 67 km and turn right onto the Alex Graham - Palmer Lake Forest Service Road (1300 Road). Follow the 1300 Road for approximately 52.3 km and turn left onto the Alex Graham - Goering FSR (1700 Road). Travel 8.0km and turn right onto the access road. Rough, four-wheel drive access from this point. Travel 4.5 km to the first 2 overflow campsites, or continue another 0.9 km to the main site, which offers another 9 campsites.
Coordinates: 52.36179, -123.231689
Depth chart for Palmer Lake
23.2 mdeepest11.4 mmean
Palmer Lake runs to 23.2 m (76 ft) at its deepest.
The mean of 11.4 m (37 ft) is read off the same chart, surveyed in February 1973.
The Province sounded Palmer Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1973.
The ice year at Palmer Lake, modelled
Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.
In the model Palmer Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 29 October and 10 November, and ice-off between 28 April and 15 May. The median winter freezes on 4 November and opens on 7 May.
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 24 April 2025, 161 days.
No ice fishing closure is recorded for Palmer Lake, so the general regional regulations apply.
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.
Palmer Lake climate, 1960 to 2025
Averaged over a year, the air above Palmer Lake is 1.0 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.
- +1.0 Csince the 1960s
- 3.0 Caverage year now
- 2.0 Caverage year then
- -7 daysbelow freezing, change
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
This week at Palmer 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 | Overcast | 10° / -3° | 11 km/h, gusts 20 | dry | Steady |
| Wed 21 Oct | Overcast | 11° / -1° | 11 km/h, gusts 23 | dry | Falling (-9.8 hPa) |
| Thu 22 Oct | Slight snow | 5° / -3° | 12 km/h, gusts 27 | dry | Rising (+6.2 hPa) |
| Fri 23 Oct | Overcast | 5° / -4° | 10 km/h, gusts 22 | dry | Rising (+11.5 hPa) |
| Sat 24 Oct | Overcast | 4° / -2° | 9 km/h, gusts 19 | dry | Falling (-1.1 hPa) |
| Sun 25 Oct | Partly cloudy | 6° / -5° | 8 km/h, gusts 17 | dry | Rising (+5.4 hPa) |
| Mon 26 Oct | Overcast | 6° / -3° | 10 km/h, gusts 17 | dry | Falling (-3.3 hPa) |
Palmer Lake, in brief
What fish are in Palmer Lake?
Rainbow Trout. Species from the province's fish observation records.
Which management unit is Palmer Lake in?
Palmer Lake is in MU 5-13, in the Cariboo. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.
Trout lakes near Palmer Lake
- Mackill Lake 4 km away
- Rosita Lake 9 km away
- Stum Lake (Tegunlin) 17 km away
- Beaver Lake 21 km away
- Alexis Lake (Tigulhdzin) 21 km away
All 328 lakes in the Cariboo, with today's conditions on each.