July 04, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Burns Lake, Attractions
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The recent long weekend gave my friends and I the opportunity to do some exploring out of the immediate Smithers area. Our destination was a cozy cabin along the shores of Francois lake, only 23 km south of Burns Lake. Although we stayed in a privately owned cabin, some of my friends’ families stayed at near by campgrounds at Noralee and Takysie Lake. Sunday morning my friends and I went for a paddle in our canoe, although we didn’t bring our fishing rods along, another boater who had a line in the water told us that he had already caught three just that morning! After enjoying a campfire cooked lunch, my friends and I headed across the lake to the Southside to find some afternoon adventures. As Francois Lake is actually the second biggest natural lake in BC the easiest way to get across is via the Francois Lake Ferry, it is a free Ferry and runs at least once every hour. From the Ferry Terminal we took a left driving 20 mins to Takysie Lake, and then continuing on the main road for about another 20 mins until we saw the Cheslatta Falls sign on our right hand side. The falls were absolutely stunning, and the trail led down a gorge then along a ridge overlooking the raging river. We finished off our trip with a hearty dinner at the Takysie Lake Resort before making our way back to the ferry. Make sure to ask the friendly resort staff for a business card, which conveniently displays the sailing times for the ferry, or bring along a Burns Lake visitor guide, which can be a great help for organizing logistics.