My partner and I patronized Seeley Lake Provincial Park as part of our Mid-Summer adventure and, well, it was okay. The Hazelton Mountains form a beautiful backdrop, but the park itself was kind of ho-hum – especially after having visited Kleanza Creek earlier in the day. The grounds are primarily marsh and wetlands – and so form an important ecological habitat for waterfowl and the like – but didn’t particularly “grab me” as a “must see” attraction. There’s a short trail along the lakeshore that leads to a viewing platform, but not much else in terms of land-based recreation. I imagine Seeley Lake to be popular for swimming and light fishing given its location, however. As part of our explorations, we also checked out the designated camping area of the park. In short, Seeley Lake boasts 20 small campsites; however, they struck me as rather cramped and lacking in facilities: There are a couple of pit toilets, picnic tables and a fresh water pump on site. I guess these would be fine if you’re not carrying a lot of equipment? I think it’s important to recognize that Seeley Lake is on the traditional territory of the Gitxsan and it’s this fact that results in the most interesting aspect about this park, in my view. When you enter the day use area, you’ll come across a plaque entitled “Sealy Lake and Medeek.” It tells the legend of Medeek, a “huge water-grizzly,” who gets awakened by foolish children “wasting nature’s bounty.” Medeek is eventually slayed and the kids are taught to “Respect the Animal World,” which is something we should all heed and hear even today. The legend of Medeek, then, helps to contextualize the park while concomitantly imparting upon us an important life lesson.

Seeley Lake is a beautiful campground near Hazelton, B.C. This park lies at the foot of the great mountain locals call Stegyawden otherwise known as Roche De Boule on the maps. A good swimming lake and excellent government campground on highway 16.