Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit

The Bowron circuit is a chain of lakes, rivers and portages that happens to close into a rough rectangle about one hundred and sixteen kilometres round, so paddlers return to where they started without retracing a stroke, which is rare and is why it appears on lists of the world's great canoe trips. It takes six to ten days with about ten kilometres of portaging, the longest at the start. Numbers are capped by a reservation system and groups launch on assigned days. Moose are common in the marshes, and both black and grizzly bears live in the park, so food caches at the campsites are mandatory.

What you actually see

• The closed rectangle - a circuit returning to the start without backtracking.
• The portages - about ten kilometres of carries between waterways.
• The wildlife - moose in the marshes, black bears and grizzlies in the park.
• The Cariboo Mountains - peaks and glaciers around the eastern side.

When to go

July to September; the circuit opens once ice clears and closes in autumn. Launch slots are reserved and the peak weeks book out as soon as reservations open.

Honest expectations

This is a committing wilderness trip with no exit once past the first lakes, and rescue is slow. Portages with a loaded canoe are hard work. Weather can pin parties down for days on the big lakes.

Nearby

Barkerville lies west; Quesnel is the supply town.