Trip 160 - July 13, 2019 (Saturday)

Tatlayoko Lake East Trail Hike

Off Highway 20 Near Tatla Lake BC

Partial hike to about the 5 km mark

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Liked: Lake and mountain views, shade in the forest, fairly easy trail, the ability to bike for the first several kilometers.

Of Note: Several tricky creek crossings, the trail can be hard to follow, some bugs, the trail at times is narrow and next to steep drop-offs. Hiking poles and boots are recommended.

Cariboo Chilcotin Coast BC Backroad Mapbook (4th edition) Trailhead Coordinates: Page 13 (Tatlayoko Lake) G5.

Related Trip Report: BC Highway 20 (Williams Lake to Bella Coola).

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20. We are back in the open area seen in photo #15, and this is the Tatlayoko Lake trailhead.

Tatlayoko Lake East Trailhead - BC Hiking

21. The trail begins.

Tatlayoko Lake East Trail - Hiking in the Province of BC Canada

22. The grassy path turned into a dirt track for several hundred meters.

BC Hike - Tatlayoko Lake East Trail

23. 560 meters from the start of the trail you would need to open and close the gate to get through. Be gentle - the gate is in a rough shape.

British Columbia Hiking - Tatlayoko Lake East Trail Hike

24. Tatlayoko Lake East Trail after the gate. It takes over one kilometer of hiking, before the trail gets to the lake. It then approaches and departs from the lake by several hundred meters on many occasions.

Tatlayoko Lake East Trail near Tatla Lake BC Canada

25. The first creek crossing arrived 1.2 km after the start of the trail. All creek crossings on this trail might be complicated during the spring runoff or after heavy rains.

British Columbia Hiking - Tatlayoko Lake East Trail

26. We actually biked for the first 2.5 km or so. It's quite easy to do, as the ground is mostly flat, and the path is wide. Later, the path becomes narrow, soft, and with steep drop-offs. On the way back, we ended up losing balance and tumbled down the hill along with the bicycle for several meters because of that. Wasn't much fun, so, beware, if you decide to bike once the path becomes narrow, and drop-offs appear on the side.

BC Hiking - Tatlayoko Lake East Trail - Hiking in Chilcotin

27. The second creek crossing, several hundred meters past the first one.

Chilcotin Hiking - Tatlayoko Lake East Trail

28-30. About 1.7 kilometers into the hike, there is a short scramble to the lake through some trees, with very good views. There are also hundreds of ants there - watch your step. Coordinates: N 51⁰35.652' W 124⁰23.188'. Elevation: 835 meters.

Tatlayoko Lake

Tatlayoko Lake BC Canada

Tatlayoko Lake British Columbia

Here is our video of the views from this spot.

31. Tatlayoko Lake East Trail continues.

Tatlayoko Lake East Hike

32. The arrival of the narrow path, with soft ground and steep drop-offs. We left our bicycle behind, after it became easier to hike, than to bike.

Hiking in Chilcotin - Tatlayoko Lake East Trail British Columbia Canada

33-34. About 3.5 km after the start, there is this fallen tree, and the trail splits immediately after. Stay to the right (closer to the lake).

Hiking in British Columbia - Tatlayoko Lake East Trail

35. A complicated creek crossing #4 (the third one was not shown) arrives 1.3 kilometers later.

36. We did as follows: sat on the top trunk (also seen in the photo above), and put our feet onto the bottom trunk. Then, it was possible to jump across without getting your feet wet. Looking back here.

37. Tatlayoko Lake East Trail after that creek.

Tatlayoko Lake East Trail - Hike in BC

38-39. A few hundred meters later, we have reached a point with good views, and called it a hike. Coordinates: N 51⁰34.252' W 124⁰23.794'. Elevation: 835 meters (approximately 30 meters elevation loss from the start of the trail).

Tatlayoko Lake

Here is our video of the views from this spot.

More ihikebc videos are on our YouTube Channel.

Tatlayoko Lake East Trail is pleasant enough. However, unless there is something great further on, the best views can be had without all the hiking.