Tumbler Ridge & Monkman / Full trip pack
Monkman Lake
- Round trip
- 50 km
- Elevation gain
- 465 m Published route measurement
- Walking time
- 4 or more days with exploration
- Difficulty
- Unconfirmed out-and-back
return to lake
Long forest backpacking route via Murray River suspension bridge, a limestone ridge and the Cascades area to the lake.
1. Getting there and parking
From Tumbler Ridge, travel south on Highway 52 for approximately 13–14 km and turn right onto Kinuseo Falls Road. Continue on the signed park approach, keeping left at the junction after the first Murray River crossing. The gravel road is prone to washboard and potholes; allow slow travel and follow industrial-road signs. For the backcountry trail, park in the day-use area at Kinuseo Falls campground, around road kilometre 50. The signed one-kilometre spur to the falls parking is a different destination.
- From Tumbler Ridge, travel 12.8 km south on Highway 52 and turn right onto Kinuseo Road.
- Follow the signed park road to the campground; gravel begins after about 3.5 km and washboard is common.
Parking: For the northern approach, park in the day-use area at Kinuseo Falls campground near road kilometre 50. The separate falls-viewpoint road is not the backpacking start.
2. Walking the route
Start at the back of Kinuseo Falls campground and follow the east side of the Murray River for about 7 km to the suspension bridge. Murray River Camp is reached on a short downstream side path. Beyond the crossing, climb onto the limestone ridge, follow its open cliff-top sections and descend toward Trot Camp around trail kilometre 14–15. Continue through enclosed forest toward the Monkman Creek cascades. Side-trail access is described around kilometres 18 and 21 and near the Devil’s Creek crossing at kilometre 22. These branches lead to different waterfalls rather than one continuous flat viewing path; several sections need route-finding and careful movement near cliffs and fast water. After the cascades area, stay on the main trail through the large quartzite blocks of Hell’s Half Acre and continue toward Monkman Lake, about 25 km from the campground start. This is approximately a 50 km return backpack, with additional distance for waterfall side trips. The onward trail beyond the lake becomes a much less maintained wilderness route and is not included in the ordinary lake outing.
- Start behind the campground and follow the Murray River approach about 7 km to the suspension bridge; Murray River Camp is on a downstream side path.
- Climb and traverse the limestone ridge, then descend toward Trot Camp around kilometre 14–15.
- Continue to the waterfall branches around kilometres 18 and 21 and the Devil’s Creek crossing near kilometre 22.
- Continue on the main trail through Hell’s Half Acre and onward to Monkman Lake around kilometre 25.
The return
The lake is approximately 25 km from the campground, making 50 km return before waterfall side trips.
Mapped outing: Monkman Lake trailhead at Kinuseo Falls campground → Monkman Lake Camp → Monkman Lake trailhead at Kinuseo Falls campground. 46.9 km measured along the mapped line; published trip measurements may differ.
3. Route map
The highlighted line follows the documented outing.
© OpenStreetMap contributors. Route geometry is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. · Line source · Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · Source-line database: https://hikingprincegeorge.com/data/osm-route-lines.geojson
Elevation along the outing
Full round trip
Start: Monkman Lake trailhead at Kinuseo Falls campground · Turn around: Monkman Lake Camp (23.4 km) · Finish: Monkman Lake trailhead at Kinuseo Falls campground (46.9 km mapped).
Approximate ground elevation from a 90 m terrain model. Distance follows the mapped itinerary and may differ from published walking distance. This is a terrain-model profile, not a surveyed measurement. Any ascent total is identified separately with its own source or estimation method.
How the route order was checked
BC Parks downloadable GPS identifies the campground trailhead and this backcountry camp independently. The retained licensed source route is continuous from within39m of that trailhead to the camp vicinity (endpoint offsets recorded in validation). The official northern-route map establishes this approach and staged camp chainage. The selected line excludes waterfall side trips, the Monkman Tarns and the unmaintained southern wilderness continuation. The source describes the ordinary lake visit as an out-and-back.
Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0
Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/13422689. Sampled and rounded for display.
Source: https://open-meteo.com/en/licence
Licence: CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Profile source checked: 2026-10-18
Published locations
Numbered points match the map. Use the role beside each point. A summit or park reference point is not a parking location.
| Place and role | Coordinates | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monkman Lake shared parking | 54.765083 -121.206447 | Official BC Parks GPS download contains a named Point placemark: Monkman Lake Trailhead and Day Use Parking. WNMS and BC Parks describe the lake/cascades route starting at this campground trailhead; the tarns extend beyond Monkman Lake. The marker is the trip start, not the remote destination. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
| 1. Monkman Lake Trailhead and Day Use Parking official trailhead | 54.765083 -121.206447 | Named waypoint in BC Parks published Monkman GPSnavigation file. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
| 2. Trot Camp officially mapped camp | 54.670925 -121.123596 | Named waypoint in BC Parks published Monkman GPSnavigation file. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
| 3. Slate Camp officially mapped camp | 54.719226 -121.165727 | Named waypoint in BC Parks published Monkman GPSnavigation file. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
| 4. Monkman Lake Camp officially mapped camp | 54.600275 -121.174764 | Named waypoint in BC Parks published Monkman GPSnavigation file. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
| 5. Devils Creek Camp officially mapped camp | 54.630009 -121.158745 | Named waypoint in BC Parks published Monkman GPSnavigation file. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
| 6. Cascades Camp officially mapped camp | 54.639046 -121.158972 | Named waypoint in BC Parks published Monkman GPSnavigation file. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
| 7. Suspension Bridge officially mapped crossing | 54.719533 -121.165216 | Named waypoint in BC Parks published Monkman GPSnavigation file. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/monkman_provincial_park_trails_and_camps_bdf6c05724.kmz |
5. Camping, facilities and seasons
Camping and tenting
The steward identifies camps near the Murray River bridge, Trot, Shire Falls, Devil’s Creek and Monkman Lake. These are distinct locations; facilities or distances at one should not be assumed at the others.
Season and access
Mountain weather is changeable even in summer, with cool rain and wind common. BC Parks says the access road is maintained only to kilometre 21 in winter, so the summer road-end start is not a normal winter driving destination. Water must be treated, and overnight parties need a stove and a complete backcountry plan.
Dogs
BC Parks requires pets on a leash and restricts them from park buildings and beach areas. Backcountry travel with pets is discouraged because of wildlife encounters; this is the park rule, not evidence that a difficult route is suitable for a dog.
Practical details checked 2026-10-17.
More maps & trail files
Monkman Lake & Cascades — January 2025 guide (PDF)
Corridor guide covering multiple camps, waterfalls and destinations; not one short hiking itinerary.
http://assets.wnms.ca/brochures/monkman-lake-jan-2025.pdf
Wolverine Nordic & Mountain Society · Publisher’s source page · checked 2026-10-17.
These links open files and maps maintained by their publishers. They require an internet connection and are not included in this saved guide.
Additional source maps
Map 1: https://investtumblerridge.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/TR_Map_insert2018_web.pdf
Your trip notes
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