Closest Access Point: Sunday Creek (Access Point #10) (But, also, there’s a closer and easier way to get to Sunday Lake than using this access point, see the notes at the end.)
Distance To Access Point: 4.5 KM (1.5 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy/Medium.
Maintenance Level: Low/Regular
Date of Visit: Spring, 2021
Sunday Lake is a nice little lake just north of Highway 60. There are three sites on the lake and, having visited all of them when I was there, I’d say this is far and away the best. It’s an awesome island spot with lots of room for tents, great views and great swimming. If you’re going to Sunday Lake, this is the one you want.
Terrain: The campsite area is well cleared out and mostly free of obstacles. There’s a gentle rise from the canoe landing, but for the most part the site area is nice and flat. The south end of the island is dominated by some larger rock formations that make for great spots to sit and watch the water, as well as enter for a swim.
Canoe Landing: There’s a perfect little harbour area on the west side of the island, just past the rocky area that dominates the southern tip. The underwater terrain is sand and rock and very easy to pull up on. The underwater approach was free of obstacles as far as I could tell.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is fine. It’s well situated in the middle of the site and has a nice view west and south. The pit itself is just a circle of rocks, no fancy drying areas or anything.
Swimability: Very swimmable. Off the west side of the island the underwater terrain is a mix of rock and sand and, importantly, is relatively free of things to trip on. You can wade in from here and quickly turn the wading into a dive as the ground drops away. The rocky area on shore makes for a great spot to lay out in the sun.
Tent Sites: Lots of space for tents. You could set up two or three easily and probably still have room for more (although Park rules say you’re only allowed three pieces of shelter equipment per site, so maybe save the tent party for somewhere else).
Thunderbox: The thunderbox is towards the north end of the island. It’s sitting in the middle of an open space dotted with a couple of pine trees and is hidden from the rest of the site by a stand of trees. It’s in pretty good condition and has a nice view north (although I guess this means anyone coming around the island from the north probably has a nice view of the box as well).
Accessories: None to speak of. There are a couple of log benches around the fire pit, but those are more on the log end of the spectrum as opposed to the bench end. Definitely worth bringing a camp chair if you’ve got one.
Views: Great views south and west. While there are trees along the shoreline, they don’t make the site feel enclosed. If anything, there’s just enough that you get a feeling of privacy without totally obstructing the view.
Notes: The closest official access point to Sunday Lake is the Sunday Creek access at the Spruce Bog Trail. It is not, however, the easiest way to get to Sunday Lake. Sunday Road is a logging road that leads out of the Big Pines trail parking lot about two kilometers west of Sunday creek. If you follow that road for a couple of kilometers you’ll come to a set of gates with a big no entry sign. Just before those gates is a P150 that leads from the road down to Sunday Lake. The road widens right around where the portage sign is and you can pull over with some confidence that your vehicle isn’t going to get nailed by a passing logging truck. Full disclosure, I have no idea if using this road is actually within the Park’s rules. You’re not allowed to travel on the Park’s logging roads, that I know for sure. However, I’m not sure if the stretch of road from the Big Pines lot to the gate actually qualifies as a logging road or if it is there to provide easier access to Sunday. Based on the fact that there is a portage there my guess is that the Park expects people to use it as an access, but it’s probably not a bad idea to double check (and if you decide not to double check and get a ticket, don’t blame me).
Related Trip Report: Day Trippin’: Tonakela and Sunday Lake
Back to Campsite Reports