My husband and I love the outdoors. We spend our summer weekends going from one camping ground to the next. Two years ago we discovered canoeing and camping on magnificent Murtle Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park. In this wilderness paradise, where motorboats are restricted, you can experience complete silence and stillness in nature. Murtle Lake has 57 square kilometers of surface area and one arm extends deep into the rugged Cariboo Mountains, while the other pushes westward and sports sandy beaches and many little islands. Hiking trails to alpine areas and waterfalls provide optional activities. The area is rich with a variety of wild berries to be picked and savoured in season. The mighty Murtle River flows out of this lake and crashes over seven waterfalls and many rapids before it falls over the world famous Helmcken Falls and into the Clearwater River. Access to this area is via a 26-kilometre gravel road and a two-kilometre portage, making it available for any who truly seek the wilderness. In our busy world, Murtle Lake offers a precious sanctuary from which one can return refreshed in mind, body, and spirit. (collapse)