Steamboat Lake
MU 4-34, Kootenays
50.7475° N, 116.2917° W
- Surface area
- 2.8ha
- Elevation
- 1,091m
- Campsites
- 3
- At Steamboat Lake rec site
Open Steamboat Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.
Steamboat Lake at a glance
- Region
- Kootenays
- Management unit
- MU 4-34
- Species
- Rainbow TroutThe newest of these fish records is from 2026.Species from the province's fish observation records.
- Lake size
- Small Water (< 50 ha)
- Ice fishing
- Open to ice fishing, confirmed
- Coordinates
- 50.7475, -116.2917
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Gear for rainbow trout
Lines, leaders, lures and flies for rainbow trout, searched on Amazon.ca.
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Fish on record at Steamboat Lake
| Species | First recorded | Last recorded | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Trout | 1961 | 2026 | 49 |
A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.
How to fish Steamboat Lake
Best times of year at Steamboat Lake
- May - June
- September - October
Steamboat Lake fishing regulations
Electric motor only - max 7.5 kW. Source: Province of British Columbia
Getting to Steamboat Lake
33.3 km of traced road to the campground by way of Steamboat Lake Rd, Steamboat Mountain Rd and Brisco Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface.
Coordinates: 50.7475, -116.2917
Camping and rec sites at Steamboat Lake
- Steamboat Lake
- Campsites
- 3 designated
- To the shore
- 20 m
Access: Access via Westside Road from Radium Hot Springs. At the 30.5 km mark on Westside Road turn right on to the Steamboat Mountain Forest Service Road. Pass by Halgrave Recreation Site on your left. Approximately 10 km after leaving Westside Road you will find the Steamboat Recreation Site. <br> <br> Note: The road beyond Halgrave Lakes requires high clearance.
Coordinates: 50.748465, -116.291716
The ice year at Steamboat Lake, modelled
Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.
In the model Steamboat Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 28 October and 8 November, and ice-off between 25 April and 8 May. The median winter freezes on 2 November and opens on 2 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 30 April 2025, 167 days.
Steamboat 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.
Steamboat Lake climate, 1960 to 2025
Averaged over a year, the air above Steamboat Lake is 0.7 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.
- +0.7 Csince the 1960s
- 3.5 Caverage year now
- 2.8 Caverage year then
- -5 daysbelow freezing, change
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
This week at Steamboat 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 | 11° / -3° | 10 km/h, gusts 16 | dry | Steady |
| Wed 21 Oct | Overcast | 17° / 2° | 15 km/h, gusts 28 | dry | Falling (-4.9 hPa) |
| Thu 22 Oct | Overcast | 13° / 2° | 12 km/h, gusts 19 | dry | Falling (-4.2 hPa) |
| Fri 23 Oct | Light drizzle | 10° / 2° | 17 km/h, gusts 35 | dry | Rising (+5.0 hPa) |
| Sat 24 Oct | Moderate drizzle | 6° / -1° | 12 km/h, gusts 21 | 1 mm | Rising (+13.8 hPa) |
| Sun 25 Oct | Moderate snow | 5° / -6° | 7 km/h | 3 mm | Rising (+4.5 hPa) |
| Mon 26 Oct | Partly cloudy | 5° / -7° | 2 km/h | dry | Steady |
Steamboat Lake, in brief
What fish are in Steamboat Lake?
Rainbow Trout. Species from the province's fish observation records.
Which management unit is Steamboat Lake in?
Steamboat Lake is in MU 4-34, in the Kootenays. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.
Trout lakes near Steamboat Lake
- Upper Halgrave Lake 2 km away
- Hall Lakes 2 km away
- Lower Halgrave Lake 2 km away
- Halfway Lake 6 km away
- Leadqueen Lake 6 km away
All 162 lakes in the Kootenays, with today's conditions on each.