Lily Lake
- Location: Merritt
- Difficulty: Easy - Family
- Lake Amenities:
Lily Lake is a wilderness recreation lake in the deep back country forests located southwest of the community of Merritt, British Columbia, Canada. The lake is a remote destination popular for birdwatching, horseback riding, fishing, wilderness camping and canoeing. It is a beautiful spot to visit accessed by very rough gravel roads.
The forestry campground is a recreation wilderness campsite meaning it is, mostly, self maintained. Wilderness campgrounds provide very little or no services and require everyone to pack out what they pack in. At Lilly Lake each campsite (5 in total) rests under the cover of trees and includes a picnic table and fire pit. Hidden in the trees, near the entrance to the lake, away from the campsite is where the pit toilets are located.
There is a roof-top boat launch in the campground accessing the lake. Beside the boat launch is a wooden pier used for unloading and loading water craft. When fishing the lake most arrive with a canoe or an aluminum boat. All arrive at the stocked fishing lake in hopes of catching some Rainbow Trout.
In the area around Lily Lake is a series of trails and gravel roads. The network of trails attracts the hikers, horseback riders, dirt and mountain bikers to the lake area. The trails lead to grass valleys and to hilltop viewpoints. Many trails are designated hiker-only and horse-only while the gravel roads are shared with off roaders.
Please make note that the access road to the lake is very rough, filled with pot holes and soft shoulders. The lake is a beautiful spot and is a worth-while trip but the trip should only be attempted by 4×4 vehicles and trucks. It is not a destination for RVs or for cars. Many areas to bottom out and get stuck.
