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Pillar Lake

MU 3-26, Thompson-Nicola
50.5925° N, 119.6383° W

Map of Pillar 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.119°40.5′W119°40′W119°39.5′W119°39′W119°38.5′W119°38′W119°37.5′W50°35′N50°35.2′N50°35.5′N50°35.8′N50°36′NPillar LakePillar Lake rec site15 m to shore0500 mNMap of Pillar 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.119°39′W119°38′W50°35′N50°35.5′N50°36′NPillar Lake rec site15 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 9 September 2026. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.
Surface area
39.5ha
Maximum depth
17.7m
58 ft
Elevation
853m

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

Pillar Lake at a glance

Region
Thompson-Nicola
Management unit
MU 3-26
Species
Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Steelhead (last recorded 1950), Peamouth Chub (last recorded 1950)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
No ice fishing closure on file
Coordinates
50.5925, -119.6383

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Fish on record at Pillar Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Rainbow Trout19242026102
Kokanee201720269
Steelhead195019501
Peamouth Chub195019501

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

How to fish Pillar Lake

Best times of year at Pillar Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

Pillar Lake fishing regulations

Engine power restriction - 7.5 kW (10 hp). Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Pillar Lake

A small 4 vehicle BCFS campsite (scenic stone pillars can be seen above the road) with a good cartop boat launch can be found on the lake.

12.0 km of traced road to the campground by way of Chase-Falkland Rd. The road at the end is a paved surface.

The road route traced to Campground at Pillar Lake, 12.0 km.Start of the traceCampground2 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: 50.5925, -119.6383

Camping and rec sites at Pillar Lake

  • Pillar Lake
    To the shore
    15 m

    No campsite count on file (BC Recreation Sites and Trails)
    Access: From the city of Kamloops travel east for 27 km. (17 mi.) on Hwy. #1 (Trans Canada Hwy.). Turn south (right) onto Hwy. #97 at the Monte Creek junction. Travel for 45 km. (28 mi.) to the community of Falkland. Turn north (left) and follow this good 2wd road to Joyce and Pillar lakes, found on your left side. Pillar can also be found by travelling north on Hwy. #97 from the city of Vernon. Pillar Lake is 11.9 km from the town of Falkland. A link to useful directions and highways in BC http://www.milebymile.com/main/Canada/British_Columbia/Canada_British_Columbia_road_map_travel_guides.html
    Coordinates: 50.589524, -119.633957

    The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

Depth chart for Pillar Lake

17.7 mdeepest

Pillar Lake runs to 17.7 m (58 ft) at its deepest.

The Province sounded Pillar Lake and published the depth chart.

The ice year at Pillar Lake, modelled

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

In the model Pillar Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 9 November and 24 November, and ice-off between 8 April and 26 April. The median winter freezes on 18 November and opens on 19 April.

Modelled ice season at Pillar Lake: freeze-up most winters between 9 November and 24 November, ice-off between 8 April and 26 April.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-offabout 152 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 23 November 2024 to 30 March 2025, 127 days.

No ice fishing closure is recorded for Pillar 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.

Pillar Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Pillar Lake is 1.2 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +1.2 Csince the 1960s
  • 4.7 Caverage year now
  • 3.5 Caverage year then
  • -11 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Pillar Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
2 C4 C7 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
871311751960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Pillar 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 OctClear sky12° / 0°10 km/hdrySteady
Wed 21 OctOvercast18° / 7°8 km/h, gusts 20dryFalling (-6.9 hPa)
Thu 22 OctOvercast14° / 4°10 km/hdryFalling (-1.9 hPa)
Fri 23 OctOvercast9° / -1°12 km/h, gusts 30dryRising (+12.2 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast8° / -2°7 km/hdryRising (+7.3 hPa)
Sun 25 OctOvercast7° / -3°7 km/hdryRising (+2.6 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast8° / -3°7 km/hdryFalling (-1.4 hPa)

Open Pillar Lake in the app

Pillar Lake, in brief

What fish are in Pillar Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Steelhead (last recorded 1950). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Pillar Lake in?

Pillar Lake is in MU 3-26, in the Thompson-Nicola. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Pillar Lake

All 342 lakes in the Thompson-Nicola, with today's conditions on each.

Reading the water