Last summer my wife and I needed a little get away. We had heard about Mable Lake, just north of Lumby. We went on the Thursday before a long weekend, but the campground was so full it could have been the Saturday of a long weekend.
In fact, the campground was full. Totally. We were not going to go home, especially after seeing the lake, so we continued along the gravel Mabel Lake road until we reached the forestry site. Just after a big hairpin. We took our 2wd drive car down a sketchy road to a popular camping spot near the lake. We were not alone there either. There were atleast 10 other cars there, most with rv style trailers, and atv’s.
Somehow though, there was 1 tent spot right near where a creek joined the lake and we could set up our tent without seeing anyone else. It felt like seclusion, even though it wasn’t. The whole weekend was spent swimming, bbq-ing and exploring the area. The lake was busy, but felt quiet, and we found some incredible waterfalls just uphill from the campspot while looking for a geocache.
This is a great spot, but it’s no secret. Go early if you want a spot, or get adventerous if you want to get away from the crowds. Cool spots are available, but they take some adventure to find them, otherwise they wouldn’t be so cool, would they?
so ive now been to mable lake a few more times. last month we stayed at the officila camp site. spelt on the beach like the homeless. what a great night. last monday we returned to the forestry site and what a mess. i took back 4 bags of garbage and 5 broken lawnchairs that were left there. gross. the creek was raging. all the garbage attracted a black bear to the area and there were fresh tracks all around our tents in the morning. sure glad we cleaned up before bed or it could have got ugly. we took the fsr from lake country to dee lake then north and into lumby. some new fsrs for me. not sure if i’ll be back. the site is getting pretty trashed and fire wood is being cut very irrisponsibly. while i was cleaning up, good karma led me to a sweet digital camera someone lost there, burried under a bunch of trash. if someone you know lost it, tell them to take their damn garbage with them next time.
Thanks to people like your self this paradise is no longer a secret.
i think the big signs all along the highway do more to bring people here. i guess you missed the part about us cleaning it up when we go. it stopped being a secret long before i got there for the 1st time (3 years ago), but we do our part to try and keep it a paradise. stop being critical of things you clearly don’t understand. the first time i was there we shared the spot with 20 other campers, so the cat was out of the bag long ago. the secret places will stay that way, don’t want to run into you there.